Alec Baldwin has been indicted by a grand jury for involuntary manslaughter two years after the Rust shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.
The actor, 65, was charged with involuntary manslaughter (negligent use of a firearm) or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter (without due caution or circumspection). Both charges are fourth-degree felonies.
“We look forward to our day in court,” said Baldwin’s legal team.
In 2023, special prosecutors said Baldwin had “criminal culpability” in the fatal shooting. That October, they were preparing to present their findings to the grand jury to decide if there was probable cause to charge him.
Alec Baldwin’s Trial to Begin on February 22
The incident happened in October 2021 on the Rust movie set in Santa Fe. Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene involving a cross-draw when the gun he was holding fired and hit Hutchins. The bullet also struck Joel Souza. He went to a hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
Baldwin faced two counts of involuntary manslaughter in April 2023. But special prosecutors dropped the charges claiming there was still an “active and ongoing” investigation.
Hannah Gutierrez, the Rust armorer, is also going to trial with two counts of involuntary manslaughter as well. She’s also facing a charge of tampering with evidence. According to Santa Fe prosecutors, she hid a bag of cocaine after police interviewed her at the scene of the crime.
Initially, both defendants were slapped with gun enhancement charges, but prosecutors dropped them last year.
In March 2023, First Assistant Director David Halls took a plea deal. He served six months of unsupervised probation. Prosecutors charged Halls with negligent use of a deadly weapon after he handed the revolver that killed Hutchins to Alec Baldwin.
Jury selection for Baldwin’s trial will take place on Feb. 21 in Santa Fe County. The trial will tentatively begin on Feb. 22 and last around two weeks.