American actor Alec Baldwin may face new indictments in the case of the shooting that killed a cinematographer during the filming of the movie “Rust” in 2021, prosecutors said Tuesday, at a time when prosecutions against him were dropped in April after he was accused of manslaughter in the case.
A grand jury must decide within the next two months whether to bring further charges against the actor.
Filming of the Western film “Rust” on a farm in the US state of New Mexico witnessed a tragedy on October 21, 2021, when Baldwin operated a weapon that was supposed to contain caliber bullets, but live ammunition was fired from the weapon, killing photographer Halina Hutchins (42 years old) and wounding director Joel. Souza.
“After an extensive investigation conducted over the past few months, new facts have emerged that we believe prove Baldwin’s criminal liability in the murder of Halina Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” prosecutors Carrie Morrissey and Jason Lewis said Tuesday.
Baldwin, 65, has consistently pleaded not guilty in this incident. He indicated that members of the staff told him that the weapon was harmless. He also denied that he had pulled the trigger. However, this statement raised skepticism among several experts.
The film’s weapons official, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, faces charges of manslaughter and tampering with evidence, and she pleaded not guilty before her trial scheduled for 2024.
In early October, the film’s producers were ordered to hand over documents, including contracts concluded with Baldwin.
Prosecutors argued before the judge that the information, some of which indicated how Baldwin benefited financially from lower production costs, might be relevant to the investigation.
Baldwin and the film’s other producers are also facing several civil complaints from about a dozen plaintiffs over the death of Halena Hutchins.
In April, filming for “Rust” resumed, with Matthew, husband of the late photographer Halina Hutchins, serving as executive producer. In October 2022, the man dropped civil lawsuits he had filed against Alec Baldwin, under an agreement whose value was not disclosed.
