SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A New Mexico judge is considering his request to dismiss the grand jury indictment against Alec Baldwin in a court hearing scheduled for Friday.
In a January indictment, Baldwin was charged with manslaughter in the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins at a movie ranch outside Santa Fe.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the western movie “Lust,” has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers are arguing for his dismissal. They argued that prosecutors ignored the rules of grand jury procedure to distract from exculpatory evidence and witnesses. The manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of one and a half years in prison.
During rehearsals, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halina Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin claimed he pulled the gun’s hammer but not the trigger.
Baldwin’s motion to dismiss the charges also claims the grand jury received inaccurate and one-sided testimony about the revolver involved in the shooting.
The special prosecutor said he followed grand jury procedures and highlighted inconsistencies in Baldwin’s statements to law enforcement, workplace safety regulators and in television interviews to try to exonerate Baldwin from a “disgraceful” crime. he accused. A jury trial is scheduled for July.
After a judge in April sentenced film ordnance director Hannah Gutierrez-Reid to a maximum of 18 months in state prison for her manslaughter conviction in Hutchins’ death, prosecutors gave Baldwin the maximum amount possible. attracted attention.
Last year, prosecutors dismissed an earlier manslaughter charge against Baldwin after they said the gun he was carrying may have been modified and malfunctioned before firing. A new analysis of the gun last year allowed prosecutors to restart the case.
The indictment against Baldwin presents two standards for prosecutors to pursue. One is based on careless use of a firearm. The alternative is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin caused Hutchins’ death without “due care” or “vigilance.” This is also defined as “acts committed with complete disregard or indifference to the safety of others.”
Defense attorneys also argued that prosecutors prevented the grand jury from testifying against witnesses, including the film’s director, assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls, and prop master Sarah Zachry. Halls pleaded no contest last year to a charge of careless handling of a firearm and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation.
Gutierrez-Reid’s two-week trial gave Baldwin’s lawyers and the public a rare opportunity to see how the actor’s own trial would unfold.
Baldwin featured prominently in his testimony and closing argument, underscoring his authority as co-producer and lead actor on “The Last.” At Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, both the prosecution and defense dissected video footage of Baldwin before the shooting for clues about a malfunctioning firearm safety.
Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed failed to follow basic gun safety regulations by unknowingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “The Last,” where it was explicitly prohibited.
Gutierrez-Reed is appealing the jury’s guilty verdict in March in Superior Court, but has not yet filed a detailed argument. At sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed told the judge that she tried to do her best on set, even though she didn’t have “adequate time, resources and staffing.”
After filming in New Mexico, filming for “The Last” resumed in Montana, in agreement with Hutchins’ husband Matthew Hutchins, with Hutchins appointed as executive producer. A civil court wrongful death lawsuit brought by Matthew Hutchins and Hutchins’ son has been settled on undisclosed terms.
Defense attorneys said Baldwin was offered a deal last year to plead guilty to a “misdemeanor” offense before a grand jury convened, but the offer was “inexplicably withdrawn” before the deadline to respond.
