Breaking News: Actor Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter From The Set Of The Movie ‘Rust’ That Left Halyna Hutchins Dead

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It was an unspeakable tragedy highlighted by the fact that it occurred on a movie set involving Emmy winner and well-known Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin. 

The shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins occurred on October 21, 2021, while filming the movie ‘Rust’ at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, NM.

Also injured was the director Joel Souza after Baldwin allegedly fired the gun that was being used in the scene. 

A year and three months later, the Santa Fe County District Attorney announces that Alec Baldwin and the movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face charges for the death of Hutchinson. 

Both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed face two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The assistant director David Halls signed a plea deal on the negligent use of a deadly weapon charge. 

Halls is the person who handed the loaded gun to Baldwin. He received a suspended sentence and 6 months probation as part of his plea agreement involving the misdemeanor charge.

Special prosecutor Andrea Reeb spoke out about the charges. She said, 

“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple.”

The District Attorney involved in the matter, Mary Carmack-Altwies, said that following “a thorough review of the evidence and the laws … I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew.”

“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice,” she disclosed in a written statement.

Alec Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger in various interviews with the media while describing the scene in a totally different way when speaking to the sheriff following the incident. 

Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, told the New York Post that they plan to fight the charges against Baldwin who “was in no way responsible for the tragic accident.”

“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents 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. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”

Jason Bowles, the lawyer for Gutierrez-Reed, maintains his client’s innocence as well saying that she “did not commit involuntary manslaughter.”

“These charges are the result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. We intend to bring the full truth to light and believe Hannah will be exonerated of wrongdoing by a jury,” he declared in a statement.

The preliminary hearings for each defendant are to occur within 60 days. In these proceedings, it will be determined whether or not there is probable cause to bring the cases to trial. 

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will both be charged “in the alternative.” This means that the jury makes the decision as to which of two charges the defendants are guilty: involuntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act.

The involuntary manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 18 months. The second charge includes a firearm enhancement meaning the defendants face a mandatory five-year sentence if convicted.