According to US court filings on Wednesday, Alec Baldwin has entered a not guilty plea to manslaughter charges pertaining to the death of a young woman who was shot to death on the set of a low-budget Western.
Producer and movie actor Baldwin was indicted this month for his involvement in Halyna Hutchins’ 2021 death when the historical drama “Rust” was being filmed in New Mexico.
Director Joel Souza was wounded and Hutchins was killed when the Colt.45 he was holding accidentally fired.
Baldwin has consistently rejected taking accountability, maintaining that he did not squeeze the trigger of the firearm—which wasn’t supposed to be loaded with a live cartridge.
The incident sent shockwaves through Hollywood, and led to calls for a tightening of the rules around the use of firearms on movie sets.
However, it also sparked charges of careless management. Some in the business said that the strict procedures in place had just not been adhered to throughout the production of “Rust.”
In an effort to “minimize public vilification and suspicion and to avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after a lengthy delay in prosecution,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, have submitted a plea for a speedy trial.
Baldwin’s attorneys filed a waiver on Thursday, the day he was supposed to virtually appear in the New Mexico court for an arraignment, but Baldwin also entered a not guilty plea.
Initial manslaughter charges against 65-year-old Baldwin were dropped in April last year, due to what prosecutors called “new facts” that demanded “further investigation and forensic analysis.”
That led to the empaneling of a grand jury, which ultimately handed down the indictment he is now facing and could see him jailed for up to 18 months if convicted.
Baldwin faces two alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter — one involving “negligent use of a firearm” and one of acting “without due caution or circumspection.”
It will be up to the jury to decide whether to convict him on one or the other, or neither (but not both).
The charges relate to the action, not to the oversight of the movie, meaning he is being held culpable as an actor, not in his capacity as producer.
Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA criticized the charges, which it said were based on “an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor.”
“An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” the union said. “Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer — the person responsible for supplying and maintaining weapons — is set to go on trial later in the month on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.
The assistant director and safety coordinator for the movie, Dave Halls, who gave Baldwin the loaded gun, entered into a plea agreement with the prosecution and was given a six-month probationary period.
The incident stopped “Rust” filming, but it started up again last year. Executive producer for the film was Matthew Hutchins, the widower of the cinematographer, who had already reached a settlement with the creators of “Rust” in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Director Souza also returned, saying at the time that completing the movie would be “bittersweet” but that the cast and crew “are committed to completing what Halyna and I started.”
Baldwin remains free on bail.
