The end of the ‘Rust’ criminal case against Alec Baldwin may unlock a civil lawsuit

DECEMBER 26, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The conclusion of a criminal case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer may clear the way for a related civil lawsuit by relatives of the deceased woman and efforts to depose the actor under oath. Attorneys for the parents and sister of deceased cinematographer Halyna Hutchins said Tuesday (Dec. 24, 2024) that they’ll move forward with their suit for damages and compensation after prosecutors withdrew an appeal in the dismissal of a criminal charge against Baldwin. Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during a rehearsal in the movie “Rust” in October 2021 at a film-set ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

DECEMBER 23, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico prosecutors won’t pursue an appeal of a court’s decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting on a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie, the Santa Fe district attorney’s office announced Monday (Dec. 23, 2024).

Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey withdrew the appeal of a July decision at trial to dismiss the charge against Baldwin in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on set for the movie “Rust” outside Santa Fe in October 2021.

“Today’s decision to dismiss the appeal is the final vindication of what Alec Baldwin and his attorneys have said from the beginning — this was an unspeakable tragedy but Alec Baldwin committed no crime,” said defense attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro. “The rule of law remains intact in New Mexico.”

Representatives for the state attorney general could not be be reached immediately.

The decision to drop the appeal solidifies the decision by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer halfway through trial to dismiss the case on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.

Baldwin’s trial was upended by revelations that ammunition was brought into the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins’ killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammo unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin’s lawyers say investigators “buried” the evidence in a separate case file and filed a successful motion to dismiss.

The district attorney’s office said that under state law the New Mexico attorney general would have carried forward the appeal but “did not intend to exhaustively pursue the appeal on behalf of the prosecution.”

“As a result, the State’s efforts to continue to litigate the case in a fair and comprehensive manner have been met with multiple barriers that have compromised its ability to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” local prosecutors said.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on set when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.

In April, a judge sentenced movie weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to the maximum of one and a half years at a state penitentiary on an involuntary manslaughter conviction in Hutchins’ death.

Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.

Assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to the negligent use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation. A no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.

Several civil lawsuits have been brought against Baldwin and “Rust” producers, including a complaint by Hutchins’ parents and sister.

Prosecutors said Hutchins’ death has prompted industry-wide scrutiny of safety protocols, especially the use of firearms and live ammunition on set.

JULY 12, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A nearly three-year legal saga for Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer ended Friday (July 12, 2024) without a verdict but with tears of relief for the actor and a small coterie of family who had settled into a somber daily routine on wooden benches inside a windowless New Mexico courtroom at trial.

In the morning, 16 jurors had filed into the courtroom for a third day of scrawling notes and listening with steepled hands to testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial against Baldwin in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, only to be released for the day as the trial took an unscheduled detour.

“Have a great weekend,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said.

Outside the jury’s view, the criminal case against Baldwin was teetering as defense attorneys for Baldwin accused local investigators and prosecutors of concealing evidence that might shed light on the unconfirmed origin of live ammunition on the set of “Rust.”

It was Baldwin’s fifth day in court. He arrived each morning in a black SUV with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, to a phalanx of outdoor media cameras. Inside the courtroom Monday, at the start, an energetic Baldwin whispered to an attorney, scrawled on a legal pad and passed post-it notes to his legal team.

The defense won an early victory as the judge ruled Baldwin could not be held criminally liable for his role as co-producer on “Rust.” The case would focus on Baldwin’s handling of a gun as lead actor.

Come Tuesday, the defendant’s younger brother, Stephen Baldwin, arrived in the back of the courtroom for jury selections. He would return each day, all day. Among a pool of 70 potential jurors, all but three were familiar with the “Rust” shooting case. By day’s end, a jury of five men and 11 women were seated for trial.

For opening statements Wednesday, the courtroom was packed to capacity, with half of the gallery reserved for news media, from local network TV to the Times of London, and a few designated photographers. Attorneys and the public filled the other half, some friends and relatives of Baldwin along with local curiosity seekers and traveling amateur trial afficionados.

Seated in court, Baldwin trained his eyes downward on a notepad, away from the jury as prosecutors gave opening statements and overhead video monitors showed the aftermath of the fatal shooting at a movie set ranch.

Prosecutors said Baldwin violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety in pointing a real gun toward Hutchins while playing make-believe. Defense attorneys argued Baldwin was just doing his job as an actor, reasonably relying on other professionals to ensure gun safety, though with tragic consequences.

Baldwin’s older sister, Elizabeth Keuchler, shed tears in court as the statements unfolded. She greeted her brother with an embrace across a courtroom banister and would sit close behind him thereafter.

A prominent critic of Baldwin also took her seat in the front of the court gallery: victims’ rights attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the sister and parents of Hutchins in a civil trial seeking damages.

Baldwin’s every expression at trial registered on a video feed of the trial transmitted by CourtTV and The Associated Press. There was a restrained and attentive gaze during a first full day of witness testimony Wednesday from the A-list actor with a decades-long career in films and television, from “The Hunt for Red October” to “30 Rock” and as a fixture on “Saturday Night Live.”

Baldwin darted from the courtroom once, but otherwise paced slowly and deliberately through the courtroom and the courthouse, where impromptu interviews and photographs were prohibited.

On Friday afternoon, Baldwin’s outward demeanor changed little, but tension was building in the courtroom, where Marlowe Sommer weighed a motion to dismiss the case and probed revelations that investigators failed to disclose the receipt of ammunition in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins’ death.

Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin’s lawyers alleged they “buried” it.

During an afternoon break, Baldwin took deep, measured breaths as he walked painstakingly from the courtroom. The air whistled slightly as he breathed out with lips pursed. Hilaria Baldwin took his arm and rubbed his back as they paced the hallway.

Back inside, the audience chuckled as defense attorney Alex Spiro sparred with the ammunition supplier for “Rust,” Seth Kenney, who had forged a cooperative relationship with investigators in the aftermath of the shooting.

But the courtroom fell silent amid the clatter of laptop keyboards as the judge questioned a sheriff’s detective about the decision to place the ammunition in an evidence file, separate from the “Rust” shooting case, and whether lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey knew about that.

“When you say that there were discussions and the decision was made by all of you to put that ammo in a separate file, was Ms. Morrissey part of that discussion?” Marlowe Sommer said.

“Yes,” the detective responded.

The case was collapsing. The courtroom gasped as Morrissey acknowledged her co-prosecutor had just resigned.

Tears welled in Baldwin’s eyes, followed by sobbing, as the judge outlined her decision: “The sanction of dismissal is warranted in this case.”

JULY 11, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors sought to cast Alec Baldwin as someone who flouts rules and has little regard for safety at the first day (July 10, 2024) of his New Mexico trial in the shooting of a cinematographer. Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson repeatedly referred to Baldwin playing “make-believe” with a revolver on the set of the film “Rust.” She said it led to very real danger and the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told jurors that the actor did only what actors always do — act like the characters they’re playing. He called the death an “unspeakable tragedy,” but said Baldwin had committed no crime.

JULY 9, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin’s trial in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer is about to begin. Jury selection starts Tuesday (July 9, 2024) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the actor’s trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter that could get him 18 months in prison. The judge and attorneys in the case say they expect the 12 jurors will be seated in one day and opening statements can begin on Wednesday. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether Baldwin committed a felony when a gun he was pointing at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film “Rust” went off and killed her in 2021.

MAY 17, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge is considering whether to dismiss a grand jury indictment against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” There’s a virtual court hearing Friday (May 17, 2024) on the motion to dismiss the case. Defense attorneys for Baldwin accuse prosecutors of unfair maneuvers at grand jury proceedings to divert attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses. A grand jury indictment in January charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins at a movie ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty.

APRIL 15, 2024, UPDATE:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A movie weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.” A New Mexico judge announced the sentence Monday (April 15, 2024) against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The judge said had it not been for the armorer’s recklessness, Halyna Hutchins would be alive. A tearful Gutierrez-Reed was unsuccessful in her plea for a lesser punishment. The armorer’s two-week trial and conviction was a prelude to the proceedings against Alec Baldwin, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins. He is scheduled for trial in July.

APRIL 15, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A movie weapons supervisor is facing a possible sentence of up to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.” Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been incarcerated at a county jail ahead of Monday’s scheduled sentencing hearing on a involuntary manslaughter conviction. The armorer’s two-week trial was a prelude to the proceedings against Alec Baldwin, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins. He is scheduled for trial in July at a courthouse in Santa Fe.

MARCH 8, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A jury convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday (March 6, 2024) in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.”

The verdict against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assigned new blame in the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after an assistant director last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm.

Gutierrez-Reed also had faced a second charge of tampering with evidence, stemming from accusations that she handed a small bag of possible narcotics to another crew member after the shooting to avoid detection. She was found not guilty on that count.

Immediately after the verdict was read in court, the judge ordered the 26-year-old armorer placed into the custody of deputies. Lead attorney Jason Bowles said afterward that Gutierrez-Reed will appeal the conviction, which carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Santa Fe-based state district court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer did not immediately set a sentencing date.

Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on “Rust,” was indicted by a grand jury in January on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He was pointing a gun at Hutchins on a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, when the gun went off, killing the cinematographer and wounding director Joel Souza.

The trial was a preamble to Baldwin’s trial scheduled in July. He has pleaded not guilty.

Messages seeking comment about Wednesday’s verdict from Baldwin’s spokeswoman and a lawyer were not immediately returned.

Prosecutors said at trial that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition onto the movie set, and it remained there for at least 12 days before the fatal shooting, giving the armorer plenty of time to remove it.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey described “constant, never-ending safety failures” on the set of “Rust” and Gutierrez-Reed’s “astonishing lack of diligence” with gun safety.

“We end exactly where we began — in the pursuit of justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Morrissey told jurors. “Hannah Gutierrez failed to maintain firearms safety, making a fatal accident willful and foreseeable.”

Prosecutors also contended that the armorer repeatedly skipped or skimped on standard gun-safety protocols that might have detected the live rounds.

“This was a game of Russian roulette every time an actor had a gun with dummies,” Morrissey said.

An attorney for Hutchins’ parents and sister issued a statement expressing their satisfaction with Wednesday’s verdict.

“Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process,” said the statement from Gloria Allred on behalf of parents Olga Solovey and Anatolli Androsovych and Hutchins’ sister, Svetlana Zemko. “We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences.”

Inside the courtroom Wednesday, Gutierrez-Reed’s mother reacted with dismay at the conviction, bursting into tears and cursing the proceedings as her daughter was led away.

Defense attorneys told jurors that the problems on the set extended far beyond Gutierrez-Reed’s control, including the mishandling of weapons by Baldwin, citing sanctions and findings by state workplace safety investigators.

The defense also cast doubt on accusations that Gutierrez-Reed brought live rounds to the set and said an Albuquerque-based ammunition supplier was never fully investigated.

Juror Alberto Sanchez said Gutierrez-Reed could have paused work on the set to address safety issues. Jurors concluded she brought live ammunition on set, whether she knew it or not, Sanchez said outside of court after jurors were dismissed.

“Pretty much it was just that (she) never did the safety checks,” said Sanchez, whose work nearby in Los Alamos has involved safety decisions. “Never checked the rounds, to pull them out to shake them. I mean, if she’d have done that this wouldn’t have happened.”

Bowles, the defense attorney, had told jurors that no one in the cast and crew thought there were live rounds on set and Gutierrez-Reed could not have foreseen that Baldwin would “go off-script” when he pointed the revolver at Hutchins. Investigators found no video recordings of the shooting.

“It was not in the script for Mr. Baldwin to point the weapon,” Bowles said. “She didn’t know that Mr. Baldwin was going to do what he did.”

To drive the point home, Bowles played a video outtake from another day in which Baldwin fired a revolver loaded with blanks — including a shot after a director calls “cut.”

On the day of the shooting, Bowles said, Gutierrez-Reed alone was segregated in a police car away from others, becoming a convenient scapegoat.

“You had a production company on a shoestring budget, an A-list actor that was really running the show,” Bowles said. “At the end, they had somebody they could all blame.”

Dozens of witnesses had testified during the 10-day trial, from FBI experts in firearms and crime-scene forensics to a camera dolly operator who described the fatal gunshot and watching Hutchins go flush and lose feeling in her legs before death.

The prosecution painstakingly assembled photographic evidence it said traced the arrival and spread of live rounds on set and argued that Gutierrez-Reed repeatedly missed opportunities to ensure safety and treated basic gun protocols as optional.

The defense had cast doubt on the relevance of photographs of ammunition, noting FBI testimony that live rounds can’t be fully distinguished from dummy ones on sight.

Prosecutors said six live rounds found on set bear mostly identical characteristics and don’t match live rounds seized from the movie’s supplier in Albuquerque. Defense attorneys said the cluttered supply office was not searched until a month after the shooting, undermining the significance of physical evidence.

JANUARY 20, 2024:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin once again is facing a felony involuntary manslaughter charge after a grand jury indicted the actor in connection with the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico. The new charge was filed Friday (Jan. 19, 2024) and defense attorneys indicate they’ll fight it. Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. A new analysis of the gun opened the way for prosecutors to reboot the case. A separate trial of the film set weapons supervisor could provide a preview of strategies and witnesses against Baldwin.

Extended version:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin once again is staring down a felony involuntary manslaughter charge after a grand jury indicted the actor in connection with the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico.

The lead actor and a co-producer on “Rust,” Baldwin pointed a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

A new analysis of the gun opened the way for prosecutors to reboot the case, after dismissing an involuntary manslaughter charge last year. A new one-page indictment delivered by the grand jury Friday (Jan. 19, 2024) alleges Baldwin caused Hutchins’ death — either by negligence or “total disregard or indifference” for safety.

Defense attorneys for Baldwin indicate they’ll fight the charge, which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 18 months.

Here are some things to know about the case.

Next steps
Baldwin can enter a formal plea with or without a court arraignment, setting in motion preparations for trial.

The indictment provides prosecutors with two alternative standards for the felony involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin. One would be based on the negligent use of a firearm.

Baldwin has said he pulled back the gun’s hammer, but not the trigger, and the weapon fired. But a recent analysis of the gun used by Baldwin from Lucien and Michael Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona concluded that “the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted 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.”

Baldwin as co-producer
Prosecutors declined to answer questions Friday after spending about a day and a half presenting their case to the grand jury.

Santa Fe-based defense attorney and former prosecutor John Day, who is not connected to the case, believes the indictment gives prosecutors a possible opportunity to address Baldwin’s safety obligations as a co-producer.

“We don’t know exactly what their theory is,” Day said. “It could be that they’re including his role as basically CEO of the production … not having a safe workplace and somebody dies and you’re at the top of the pyramid.”

The company Rust Movie Productions has paid a $100,000 fine to state workplace safety regulators following a scathing narrative of safety 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.

Two related trials
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.

“His attorneys will certainly be watching the armorer’s trial closely,” said Los Angeles-based entertainment litigator and defense attorney Kate Mangels, who is not involved in the case. “It could offer a preview of the prosecution’s approach and potential witness testimony.”

Baldwin’s case was assigned to Santa Fe-based state District Court Judge T. Glenn Ellington, a specialist in criminal cases. The Gutierrez-Reed case is overseen by a different judge.

“We look forward to our day in court,” said Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, defense attorneys for Baldwin.

Potential witnesses
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. Zachry worked closely to secure guns and ammunition on set with Gutierrez-Reed.

Mangels said a grand jury indictment is by no means an assurance that prosecutors will prevail at trial.

“Just 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.

JULY 20, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The former weapons supervisor on the set of the movie “Rust” won’t have to take a drug test as she confronts felony charges of evidence tampering and involuntary manslaughter in the on-set shooting death of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin.

A New Mexico district court judge on Wednesday (July 19, 2023) dismissed a request from prosecutors to test Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for illegal drugs, calling it “an ambush” against her defense lawyers.

Prosecutors say Gutierrez-Reed passed narcotics to another person to avoid legal consequences in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting in October 2021, while contending in court documents that the armorer was likely hungover on the day a live bullet was placed into the gun Baldwin used.

Defense attorney Jason Bowles said the drug use allegations are unsubstantiated and undocumented.

It’s still unclear how several live rounds of ammunition got on set. Prosecutors say they have some evidence to support the theory that Gutierrez-Reed may be responsible for the introduction of the rounds.

Wednesday’s hearing, held online, was the first for a recently filed felony charge against Gutierrez-Reed of tampering with evidence in the shooting, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer advised Gutierrez-Reed of her legal rights on the evidence-tampering charge, which carries a possible penalty of up to 18 months in prison. Gutierrez-Reed did not enter a plea.

An involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin was dropped in April. The actor was pointing a gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing her. Baldwin has said the gun fired accidentally after he followed instructions to aim it toward Hutchins, who was behind the camera.

Evidentiary hearings may take place as soon as August to determine whether the case against Gutierrez-Reed advances toward trial.

Additionally, Gutierrez-Reed still has access to guns as a self-defense measure against threats — something prosecutors raised as a concern during Wednesday’s online court hearing.

“We have a person who is a substance user who is in possession of firearms,” said special prosecutor Kari Morrissey.

Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers say prosecutors are resorting to “character assassination” to prop up their involuntary manslaughter case.

The filming of “Rust” resumed in April in Montana under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that makes him an executive producer. Souza says he returned to directing “Rust” to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.

JUNE 23, 2023:

UNDATED (AP)- The weapons supervisor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin film “Rust” has been charged with passing drugs to someone else on the day of the shooting. Prosecutors in New Mexico filed the new charge Thursday (June 22, 2023), alleging Hannah Gutierrez-Reed tampered with evidence by transferring narcotics to another person to avoid prosecution. Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer calls the charge “retaliatory and vindictive.” Gutierrez-Reed is the only remaining defendant in the case. An involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped in April against Baldwin, who was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when it went off and killed her.

JUNE 14, 2023:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors are accusing the weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer of drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of “Rust.” They say she was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into the revolver. They leveled the accusations Friday (June 9, 2023) in response to a motion filed last month by Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys that seeks to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter charge. Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney said Tuesday that the prosecution’s case is weak and they’re resorting to character assassination claims. Prosecutors also said in the filing that they expect to decide within the next 60 days whether to recharge Baldwin.

APRIL 20, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in New Mexico will dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film “Rust.” A status conference was scheduled for Friday (April 21, 2023) in state District Court about next steps in the case. Special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis say their investigation is not over and Baldwin has not been absolved. The film’s weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is still charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins during a rehearsal when it when off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

APRIL 18, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge is sealing from public view the terms of a proposed settlement agreement in a wrongful death lawsuit involving actor Alec Baldwin. At a court hearing Monday (April 17, 2023), a judge agreed keep confidential the terms the agreement to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Hutchins’ widower and 10-year-old son against “Rust” producers including Baldwin. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe in 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director. Separately, Baldwin and the film’s weapons supervisor are charged with involuntary manslaughter.

FEBRUARY 20, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New court filings show prosecutors have dropped the possibility of a sentence enhancement that could have carried a mandatory five-year sentence against Alec Baldwin in a fatal film-set shooting. The actor-producer’s attorneys had earlier objected to the enhancement they said was unconstitutional because it was added after the October 2021 shooting. The amended complaint filed Friday in New Mexico was made public Monday (Feb. 20, 2023). Baldwin and weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged last month with felony involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals for the film “Rust” at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

JANUARY 31, 2023, UPDATE:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Santa Fe district attorney has filed involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that her office filed the charges Tuesday (Jan. 31, 2023). She previously had said the charges would be forthcoming. Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at her when the gun went off. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the set, also is charged with involuntary manslaughter.

JANUARY 31, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors are scheduled to file involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of a Western movie in 2021. Prosecutors say they will file in court and make public felony charges against Baldwin and weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed that could carry penalties of up to five years in prison. Prosecutors also said they will release a signed plea agreement with assistant director David Halls. Halls oversaw safety on the set. Baldwin has described the killing as a tragic accident and says he was told the gun was safe.

JANUARY 20, 2023, UPDATE:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors vow to file two manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons supervisor in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie. The looming charges have set in motion evidentiary proceedings and a reckoning for film set safety and the handling of firearms. One charge is for negligence. Another is for reckless disregard “without due caution and circumspection” and carries a five-year minimum sentence. Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Authorities say Baldwin was pointing a pistol at her when he cocked the hammer and fired.

JANUARY 20, 2023:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As actor Alec Baldwin faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico, gun safety on sets remains at the forefront of many in Hollywood. Joey Dillon, who supervises weapons in TV and film, says that since the shooting he has become more vocal during productions on the status of guns being put into actors hands. And he says the actors are double checking the weapons themselves much more. But Baldwin’s attorney and union both said Thursday (Jan. 19, 2023) that actors cannot be expected to make this a job responsibility, and should not be made a criminal if they fail at it.

JANUARY 19, 2023:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Santa Fe district attorney is prepared to announce whether to press charges in the fatal 2021 film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies says a decision will be announced Thursday (Jan. 19, 2023) in a statement and on social media platforms. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being shot during setup for a scene at a filmset ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021.

NOVEMBER 12, 2022:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Saying he wants to clear his name, Alec Baldwin is suing people involved in handling and supplying the loaded gun that he was using when it fired and killed a crew member last year during filming of the movie “Rust.” The shooting was ruled an accident. Baldwin on Friday (Nov. 11, 20220) sued in Los Angeles, alleging negligence by the armorer, gun supplier and others. Baldwin was rehearsing with a gun on the New Mexico set when it fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin has said he was told the gun was safe and didn’t know it held a live round. Baldwin says he’s been “wrongly viewed as the perpetrator of this tragedy.” Last month, Hutchins’ family announced it had agreed to settle a lawsuit against the actor.

OCTOBER 5, 2022:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film “Rust” has agreed to settle a lawsuit against Baldwin and the movie’s producers, and production may resume on the project in January 2023. Matthew Hutchins, widow of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, says in a statement that a settlement agreement has been reached in the New Mexico lawsuit. Matthew Hutchins says filming will resume on “Rust” in January, with the same principal players as before. New Mexico regulators say the production company has failed to pay a fine for safety violations, and have scheduled a hearing for April. Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins and others were setting up a shot inside a chapel on set when the gun he was holding went off in October 2021.

AUGUST 4, 2022:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico prosecutor says her office will decide whether criminal charges will be filed in the fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin once the investigation is complete. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement issued Wednesday (Aug. 3, 2022) that her office has received only portions of the investigation from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Still outstanding is forensic analysis of the weapon, data from Baldwin’s cell phone and more from the FBI and state medical examiners. In records released since the October 2021 shooting, investigators described complacency, disorganization and neglected safety measures in the making of the low-budget movie “Rust.”

APRIL 27, 2022:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico sheriff investigating the fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin described complacency, disorganization and neglected safety measures in the making of the low-budget movie “Rust.” The vast trove of newly released law enforcement files include lapel camera video of the mortally wounded Hutchins slipping in and out of consciousness as an evacuation helicopter arrives. Witness interrogations, email threads, text conversations, inventories of ammunition and hundreds of photographs round out the collection of evidence. The sheriff says he is waiting on a forensic analysis before turning the 6-month-old case over to prosecutors to decide whether criminal charges will be filed.

UPDATE APRIL 26, 2022:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Law enforcement officials have released a trove of video and photographic evidence in the investigation of a fatal October shooting of a cinematographer by actor and producer Alec Baldwin on the set of a Western movie. Data files released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on Monday (April 25, 2022) included videos of investigators debriefing Baldwin on the day of the shooting inside a compact office as well as apparent rehearsal clips that show the actor in costume as he practices a quick-draw maneuver with a gun. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the investigation remains open and ongoing as it awaits the results of ballistics analysis from the FBI.

UPDATE JANUARY 17, 2022:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin has surrendered his cellphone as part of the investigation into a fatal shooting on a New Mexico film set last fall. A Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman says Baldwin’s phone was turned over Friday to authorities in New York’s Suffolk County and that information from the phone will be provided to investigators. They obtained a search warrant last month for the phone’s contents in their investigation into the Oct. 21 shooting on set for “Rust.” Baldwin was an actor and co-producer for the production. Authorities have said Baldwin’s prop revolver discharged a live round during a rehearsal, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2022:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new lawsuit accuses an ammunition supplier of creating dangerous conditions on a movie set where a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin killed a cinematographer, by including live ammunition in a box that was supposed to include only dummy rounds. The lawsuit was filed in New Mexico state district court by Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who oversaw firearms, ammunition and related training on the set of “Rust” alongside two assistants. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died on Oct. 21, 2021, from a gunshot wound during a “Rust” rehearsal at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in northern New Mexico.

UPDATE DECEMBER 3, 2021:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin says someone is responsible for the shooting on a New Mexico film set that killed a cinematographer, but it’s not him. In an ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday (Dec. 2, 2021) night, Baldwin said he would do anything to undo what happened, but he’s not the person who put the live bullet in the gun, leading to the death of Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin said it was Hutchins herself who directed him to point the gun at her that they both believed was empty on Oct. 21 on the set of the Western “Rust.”

UPDATE DECEMBER 1, 2021:

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has released a clip in which Alec Baldwin tells George Stephanopoulos that he did not pull the trigger on a gun that went off on a New Mexico film set, killing a cinematographer. The interview will air as a prime-time special Thursday on ABC and will stream later on Hulu. Baldwin fired a prop gun that had been loaded with live ammunition. The cinematographer was killed and the film’s director was injured. It is the first time Baldwin has spoken in depth on screen about the shooting. ABC News says it will do a more in-depth report on the investigation into the killing next week on “20/20.”

ORIGINAL STORY DECEMBER 1, 2021:

NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Baldwin will talk about the deadly shooting in October on the set of the movie “Rust” in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. The interview will air as a prime-time special Thursday (Dec. 2, 2021) on ABC and will stream later on Hulu. Baldwin fired a prop gun that had been loaded with live ammunition. A cinematographer was killed and the film’s director was injured. It will be the first time Baldwin has spoken in depth on screen about the shooting. ABC News says it will do a more in-depth report on the investigation into the killing next week on “20/20.”

The end of the ‘Rust’ criminal case against Alec Baldwin may unlock a civil lawsuit

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