Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Again In ‘Rust’ Fatal Shooting; “Look Forward To Our Day In Court,” Actor’s Lawyers Say

Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro
·2 min read
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Exactly one year to the day that Alec Baldwin was first charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the actor has been charged again.

Widely expected for several months, a New Mexico Grand Jury issued the indictment early Friday, according to Special Prosecutors in the case. Baldwin, who had always insisted he did not pull the trigger on the 1880s prop gun that killed Hutchins, could face up to 18 months behind bars if found guilty.

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The two-court indictment charges Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter (negligent use of a firearm), a lesser charge, and involuntary manslaughter (without due caution or circumspection). “The above-named defendant did cause the death of Halyna Hutchins by an act committed with the total disregard or indifference to the safety of others, and the act was such that an ordinary person would anticipate that death might occur under the circumstances,” the indictment reads of the latter charge, a felony.

“We look forward to our day In court,” Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro from Quinn Emanuel told Deadline today after the indictment was made public. Special Prosecutors Kerri Morrisey and Jason Lewis did not respond to request for comments on the latest twist in the Rust case. If and when they do, we will update this post.

The case stems from the October 21, 2021, death of Hutchins on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set just outside Santa Fe. Rust director Joel Souza was wounded in the shooting but recovered.

Following the release of an FBI-assisted investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office in November 2022, Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were formally charged by prosecutors in January 2023 with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the killing of Hutchins. Baldwin saw criminal charges against him in the death of Hutchins dropped in April, but the haunting possibility of refiled charges against the actor never was far from a reality.

Before today, only Gutierrez-Reed had faced charges in the case. Likely similar to Baldwin now that he has been recharged, Reed is facing a maximum of 18 months behind bars and around $5,000 in fines if a jury finds her guilty on the current charges. Looking at the involuntary manslaughter claims plus evidence-tampering charges, Reed has pleaded not guilty, as did Baldwin when he first was charged. Her case is scheduled to go to trial in February — a timetable that could change with Baldwin’s indictment.

Rust assistant director Dave Halls made a plea deal and received six months of unsupervised probation.

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