On January 19, a prosecutor of the New Mexico announced prosecution against the actor and the gunsmith of the film “Rust”, whose director of photography had been accidentally killed in 2021.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
Twelve days after a first announcement, the American actor Alec Baldwin, author of a fatal shot on the set of the film Rust in 2021, was formally charged with manslaughter and faces up to five years in prison ‘He is found guilty of aggravated negligence, announced Tuesday, January 31, the Santa Fe county prosecutor at New Mexico, Mary Carmack-Altwies. The armor of the film Hannah Gutierrez, who had manipulated the weapon, is targeted by the same charges, said the prosecutor. “No one is above the law and justice will be done,” she insisted in a press release.
On October 21, 2021, this shooting in a new-mexic ranch had turned to drama when Alec Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only white balls, but whose real projectile had killed the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza. This rare various fact had shocked Hollywood and had a strong impact, triggering calls to ban firearms on the sets, where the presence of real ammunition is already prohibited.
If they are convicted of simple manslaughter, Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez risk up to 18 months in prison. But this sentence could be increased to a maximum of five years’ imprisonment in the event of aggravated negligence. The prosecutor had announced her intention to initiate prosecution on January 19. The actor’s lawyer Luke Nikas then denounced a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. “Mr. Baldwin had no reason to think that a real ball was in the weapon, or nowhere else at the set of filming,” he insisted.
stolen from prosecution at Civil
Alec Baldwin, 64, notably known for the 30 Rock series, has always said that his weapon had been harmless to him. The assistant to the realization David Halls, who had given him the weapon by informing him that she was not dangerous, will be accused of negligence when using a deadly weapon. Prosecution he chose not to contest. Mr. Baldwin also denies having pressed the relaxation, an affirmation questioned by many experts.
In August, the actor had said to expect that no one was charged, declaring to the CNN channel having hired a private detective to establish responsibilities in this case. The drama gave rise to a volley of civil proceedings, emanating from several members of the team. In October, Alec Baldwin announced that it had reached an agreement ending the legal proceedings engaged in civilian by the family of M me hutchins. Its amount had not been disclosed.
At the time, the resumption of the filming of Rust had also been announced for early 2023. The widower of the deceased director of photography, Matthew Hutchins, must be promoted executive producer of the film.