On Oct. 21, 2021, during a rehearsal on the set of Rust, a western drama with a story conceived of by Baldwin and director Joel Souza, the actor was pointing his firearm at Hutchins when it went off, fatally striking her and wounding Souza.
A grand jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, indicted Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter on Friday, Jan. 20, months after prosecutors had earlier dismissed filing the same criminal charge against him.
The specific charge against Baldwin is for involuntary manslaughter for negligent use of a firearm without due caution or circumspection. This is a fourth-degree felony that could land Baldwin a penalty of up to 18 months in prison if he is convicted. (Related: Alec Baldwin lectured public on COVID safety one week before killing woman with reckless behavior on set.)
Since the shooting, the film has been completed with additional filming done in Montana. It is currently awaiting distribution.
Baldwin proclaims innocence, will fight the charges
Baldwin, who continues to insist that he did not pull the trigger but only pulled back the hammer of the gun when it was fired, has indicated that he and his legal team will be fighting the charges.
"We look forward to our day in court," said Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, the lawyers representing Baldwin.
"It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution," said Nikas. "We will answer any charges in court."
Special prosecutors back in April dismissed the possibility of filing an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin when they concluded that the firearm used in the shooting may have been a prop that was modified prior to the incident and malfunction. But in August, prosecutors reopened the investigation against Baldwin after a new forensic analysis of the weapon was completed.
"Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver," stated the report commissioned by the special prosecutors and written by experts in ballistics.
Baldwin and his co-producers are also facing civil lawsuits seeking financial compensation, including from crewmembers who were working on "Rust," but judges have put these civil cases on hold while Baldwin's criminal case proceeds.
Hutchins' widower, Matthew Hutchins, also filed a wrongful death lawsuit shortly after the shooting. This case was settled in October 2022. The settlement provided for insurance funds and a portion of the film's profits to benefit the couple's son, who was nine years old when his mother was killed.
Furthermore, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor for "Rust," is set to go on trial in February for charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty to these charges last year.
Prosecutors allege that Gutierrez-Reed acted recklessly when she handed Baldwin the loaded firearm on set. They accused her of failing to ensure that all the rounds in the supposed prop gun were dummies and alleged that Gutierrez-Reed was drinking on the evening before the fatal incident and may have even been hungover on the day of the shooting.
The evidence tampering charge comes from the allegation that Gutierrez-Reed bribed another individual with a small bag of cocaine right after the police initially questioned her.
Watch this report on Alec Baldwin's indictment over his fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins.
This video is from the channel News and Current Events on Brighteon.com.
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