Alec Baldwin seeks dismissal of jury indictment in the fatal Rust shooting case
Alec Baldwin is both a producer and actor in Rust.
Alec Baldwin's attorneys have urged a judge in New Mexico to dismiss a grand jury indictment against the actor in the Rust shooting case. The indictment charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021 on the sets of the movie Rust which features Baldwin in the lead and has been produced by him.
Now, through his lawyers, Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to the charge. In a new court filing, his attorneys accused prosecutors of “unfairly stacking the deck" against Baldwin in grand jury proceedings that diverted attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses.
It prevented the jury from the obligatory hearing of director Joel Souza's testimony in court.Souza was wounded in the shooting while standing near Hutchins, along with assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls and props master Sarah Zachry.
Alec Baldwin accuses prosecutor of ‘basic legal error’
“The grand jury did not receive the favourable or exculpatory testimony and documents that the state had an obligation to present,” said the court motion signed by defence attorney Luke Nikas. “Nor was the grand jury told it had a right to review and the obligation to request this information.”
Baldwin's team also states that the grand jury received inaccurate and one-sided testimony about the revolver involved in the fatal shooting.
Meanwhile, Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted by a jury last week in the shooting and is being held without bond pending an April sentencehearing.
Involuntary manslaughter carries a felony sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Alec Baldwin freed of criminal charges in Rust film set shooting case
The Rust shooting incident
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing on the sets of Rust when the revolver he was holding went off. The gun was pointed at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was killed immediately. Souza was injured in the incident.Baldwin has maintained that he pulled back the gun’s hammer, but not the trigger.
Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed at a two-week trial for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of Rust where it was expressly prohibited. They also said she failed to follow basic gun safety protocols. Baldwin's trial will begin in July of this year.
