Alec Baldwin has been formally charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of ‘Rust’ cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies on Tuesday filed a formal indictment against the actor, along with Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the gunsmith for the film who oversaw the gun on set. The two have been charged with manslaughter and face up to five years in prison each.
Earlier Tuesday, Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement that “the evidence and the facts” speak for themselves. “The District Attorney and the special prosecutor are fully focused on securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Brewer added. Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe in October 2021, after Baldwin’s prop gun fired a live round, hitting her in the chest. She was 42. The Western film’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured, but the DA previously stated that no charges would be filed in relation to his wounds.
An attorney for Baldwin, 64, recently told Page Six that the charge against his client was “a terrible miscarriage” of justice. “Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” said Luke Nikas of the Quinn Emanuel law firm. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds.”Meanwhile, Hutchins’ widower, Matt Hutchins, took to Twitter at the time to thank Carmack-Altwies for the “thorough investigation” in “determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted” for his wife’s death.
The lawsuit, which named Gutierrez-Reed among other “Rust” employees, claimed that he was unable to secure the site because he handed him a loaded gun. “This tragedy happened because live ammunition was delivered to the set and loaded into the gun,” Baldwin’s attorney said in a file. Baldwin had previously denied responsibility for Hutchin’s death, claiming he didn’t pull the trigger on the prop gun on set.
