A grand jury indicted Actor Alec Baldwin on Friday for involuntary manslaughter over the shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" in 2021.
Baldwin, 65, shot and killed Hutchins on October 21, 2021, while rehearsing a scene on set in New Mexico.
The actor was previously charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped last April, and prosecutors said that they could be revived at a later date.
The New York Times reports:The grand jury issued the indictment on Friday, according to Kari T. Morrissey, who was assigned to the case last year with her colleague Jason J. Lewis after the local district attorney’s initial prosecution against Mr. Baldwin fell apart and the initial charge was dismissed.
The indictment, which came exactly one year after the initial involuntary manslaughter case against him was announced, was the latest reversal of fortune for Mr. Baldwin.
In New Mexico, an involuntary manslaughter conviction on a charge like the one Mr. Baldwin faces carries up to 18 months in prison.
According to the report, Baldwin is charged with two different charges of manslaughter, but can only be convicted of one. The first count claims he acted with“total disregard or indifference for the safety of others,” and the other says he engaged in negligent use of a firearm.
"We look forward to our day in court," Baldwin's lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, told Fox News in response to the indictment.
Baldwin has maintained that he was told the gun did not contain live rounds. He has also claimed that he never pulled the trigger and that the gun went off on its own.
The Times report notes, "A forensic report commissioned by the prosecution determined that he must have pulled the trigger for it to go off, contributing to their decision to revive the criminal case."
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” Baldwin said in an interview after the shooting. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Baldwin was both acting in and producing the film.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the film, is also facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter. She has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.
