Alec Baldwin has been indicted in the death of a cinematographer

A Grand Jury Indictment of Baldwin for the shooting of a Cinematographer on a Hollywood Set: The Case of Rust

Santa Fe, N.M. A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin for the first time in connection with the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie. The lead actor and co-producer on the movie pointed a gun at Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals for the movie, which killed her and injured the director.

The gun Baldwin was pointing at Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the set of “Rust” went off and killed her and wounded the director.

The judges put on hold the civil lawsuits after prosecutors said they would present charges to a grand jury. Film crew are among the people in those suits.

Baldwin can enter a plea without a court appearance, and that will give him time to prepare for trial. The indictment gives prosecutors two alternative standards for the charge of manslaughter against Baldwin. It would be based on the negligent use of a gun. Baldwin has said that he pulled back the hammer, but the gun wasn’t supposed to fire. An analysis of the gun used by Baldwin in his case said that the trigger had to be pulled or depressed to release the hammer of the evidence revolver. Michael Haag testified to the grand jury this week as a witness, according to the new indictment. An earlier FBI report on the agency’s analysis of the gun found that, as is common with firearms of that design, it could go off without pulling the trigger if force was applied to an uncocked hammer — such as by dropping the weapon. The gun eventually broke during testing. A second alternative for prosecutors is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin caused the death of Hutchins without due caution or “circumspection,” also defined as “an act committed with total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.”

After parts of the pistol broke during testing by the FBI, experts in forensic testing replaced the parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.

The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. The trial is scheduled to start in February.

Two of the witnesses seen at the courthouse included crew members — one who was present when the fatal shot was fired and another who had walked off the set the day before due to safety concerns. “Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the shooting investigation. New court filings Friday indicate that “Rust” prop master Sarah Zachry has signed an agreement to cooperate with special prosecutors in return for leniency. The guns and other weapons were secured on the set. Mangels said a grand jury indictment doesn’t mean that prosecutors will prevail at trial. getting an indictment from a grand jury in no way means the prosecution has a slam dunk case or even a strong case,” she said.

The 2021 Shooting “Rust”: A Murder Case against a Lax Safety Management Company and a Montana Production Executive Producer

The only way to get it to fire was to hit it with a mallet while the hammer was down or to pull the gun on top of it while it was already fully loaded. The gun eventually broke during testing.

The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family, centered on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. Baldwin and other defendants have been involved in a dispute with those allegations.

The Rust Movie Productions company has paid a $100,000 fine to state workplace safety regulators after a scathing narrative of failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.

The filming of “Rust” resumed last year in Montana, under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.

“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed versus Morrissey and Lewis: a trial against Baldwin in Los Angeles

Separately, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are preparing for a February trial against “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. That trial is likely to proceed independently — and could give Baldwin’s attorneys insights into prosecution strategies and testimony from key witnesses who are likely to also testify in proceedings against Baldwin. Kate Mangels, an entertainment litigator and defense attorney in Los Angeles, said that the armorer’s attorneys would be watching the trial closely. “It could offer a preview of the prosecution’s approach and potential witness testimony. The case of Baldwin was assigned to the judge in Santa Fe who was a specialist in criminal cases. The Gutierrez-Reed case is overseen by a different judge. The defense attorneys for Baldwin said that they look forward to their day in court.