Alec Baldwin has dodged a five-year jail sentence for the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, which occurred almost two years ago on the set of the movie Rust, according to Deadline. However, the star of movies like It’s Complicated and The Shadow has yet to face various charges in the case.
“To avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the ‘Rust’ film set,” explained Heather Brewer, spokesperson for New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Camack Altwies. “The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys.”
Alec Baldwin: Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter
Last year, the Santa Fe County, New Mexico, sheriff’s office released an investigation conducted with the assistance of the FBI into the case; as a result, District Attorney Mary Carmack Altwies charged, on May 31 October 2021, Alec Baldwin and the production armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The tragic event occurred on January 21, 2021, at Bonanza Creek Ranch, although the first hearing in this entire case was not scheduled until February 24 of this year, with Baldwin and Reed scheduled for a virtual meeting. According to New Mexico law, the first of the charges had a mild consequence: a fourth-degree felony, which carries a sentence of up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
And although the second charge, involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act, is also considered a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a fine of $5,000, an additional charge for use of weapons was added, which would have made it a mandatory five-year state prison felony if convicted.
Alec Baldwin’s Legal Team Fights for his Freedom
It was precisely this charge that made Baldwin and his legal team, belonging to the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan law firm, seek to discuss it with the prosecutor earlier this month, and win in his favor. “The prosecutors, in this case, have committed an unconstitutional and elementary legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a statute that did not exist on the date of the accident.” It thus appears that the government intended to charge the current version of the firearm enhancement statute, which was not enacted until May 18, 2022, seven months after the accident.
“Accordingly, that enhancement should not be bound over. Application of the current version of the statute would be unconstitutionally retroactive, and the government has no legitimate basis to charge Mr. Baldwin under the version of the statute that existed at the time of the accident,” commented the actor’s defense in a motion they filed with the New Mexico court, on February 10.
Now, Baldwin will only fight for crimes of the fourth degree, as stated in the first filing of amended criminal information in the New Mexico court, whose statement had been prepared since February 17 but had not been released until February 20. “We applaud the decision of the District Attorney to drop the gun enhancement, and it was the right call, ethically, and on the merits,” commented Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney. Baldwin’s legal representatives have not commented on the matter so far.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva