Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to manslaughter in ‘Rust’ fatal shooting

LOS ANGELES – Actor Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty today to an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the film “Rust” in 2021.

Baldwin, 65, had been scheduled to appear in court in New Mexico Thursday, but entered his plea Wednesday in a court document that also waived his appearance at the scheduled arraignment. District Court Judge T. Glenn Ellington approved the waiver of Baldwin’s appearance.

The judge also set conditions of Baldwin’s continued release, ordering him not to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, not to consume any alcohol or illegal substances, not to leave the country or to have any contact with possible witnesses in the case.

Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico. FILE PHOTO (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Given Baldwin’s continued involvement with the “Rust” production, the judge issued special conditions allowing him to have some contact with potential witnesses but barring him from discussing the shooting or “the substance of his or the witness’ potential testimony in this case.

”Baldwin was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on Jan. 19.

It was the second time he was charged in the case. He had been similarly charged in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty — but in April 2023 prosecutors dropped the charges, citing “new facts” that left them unable to immediately proceed with the case.

Those charges were dropped as Baldwin’s attorneys questioned whether the prop gun that Baldwin was holding on the movie set during a rehearsal was functioning properly when it fired a live round that killed Hutchins and wounded film director Joel Souza.

“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement following the indictment earlier this month.

Baldwin has maintained he did not pull the trigger on the gun, and had been told it was “cold” — meaning, it did not contain live ammunition.

According to reports, special prosecutors had further tests conducted on the weapon after charges were dropped last year and concluded there was evidence to re-try the case.

Baldwin had originally been charged along with the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act stemming from the Oct. 21, 2021 shooting of Hutchins with the prop gun wielded by Baldwin. Gutierrez-Reed also pleaded not guilty.

In this undated image taken from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. Image: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office via AP/FILE PHOTO

At the time, New Mexico special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis said they were not able to move forward with the criminal case against Baldwin.

“Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against (Baldwin),” according to the prosecutors. “Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form.

“We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation.”

Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot as Baldwin was holding the gun while helping to set camera angles for an upcoming scene.

Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, has insisted that while he pulled back the hammer on the weapon, he never pulled the trigger.

Nikas said previously that Baldwin bore no responsibility in the shooting, saying he was assured the gun contained no live ammunition, and he “relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds.”

Attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed have also denied that she did anything wrong, even suggesting at one point that others on the set tried to “sabotage” the production by mixing live rounds with blanks.

Attorneys Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion said in a joint statement when the charges were originally filed that the district attorney “has completely misunderstood the facts and has reached the wrong conclusions.”

“Rust” assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest earlier to a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in exchange for a suspended sentence and six months probation.

Sheriff’s investigators determined that live ammunition was found on the “Rust” set, mixed with blanks that are traditionally used in film production.

Hutchins’ death led to industry-wide calls for improvements in on-set safety, particularly in regard to the use of firearms.

Filming on “Rust” was suspended after the shooting, but has since resumed, with Hutchins’ husband serving as a producer under the terms of a lawsuit settlement.

Hutchins’ parents, Olga Solovey and Anatolii Androsovych, and the film’s script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, have also filed a civil lawsuit in the case. (CNS)