A fresh accusation of involuntary manslaughter was brought against Alec Baldwin in relation to the deadly shooting in Rust in 2021. Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the charge. On Wednesday, 65-year-old Baldwin submitted his plea and renounced his right to an arraignment, as reported in court documents from New Mexico.
A New Mexico grand jury indicted him for a second time in connection to the shooting on January 19. The day before his planned arraignment, he submitted the paperwork in Santa Fe County court. The court documents indicate that Baldwin was freed on his own recognizance.
Baldwin is ordered not to possess any firearms or dangerous weapons, not to drink any drugs or alcohol, and not to leave the country without written permission from the court. He is also required to respect all local, state, and federal laws.
Actor now confronts involuntary manslaughter (negligent use of a firearm) or involuntary manslaughter (without due caution or circumspection) charges; criminal case was postponed from January 2023 when charges were dropped three months later.
If found guilty of this additional crime, Baldwin could be sentenced to up to 18 months in jail as per New Mexico law. In a prior statement in reaction to Quinn Emanuel’s indictment on January 19, the actor’s attorneys Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas expressed their anticipation of their day in court.
In 2021, while filming the upcoming western Rust, the actor injured director Joel Souza and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with the discharge of a pretend gun. Baldwin has insisted time and time again that he was unaware the gun had a live bullet in it and that he was also innocent of pulling the trigger.
Following the most recent allegations against Baldwin, SAG-AFTRA has openly spoken out in his defense. “To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set,” a statement from the union said on Thursday.
“An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” the statement added. “Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.”
Gloria Allred, who represents the Hutchins family, responded to SAG-AFTRA’s statement last Thursday. Allred stated that the notion that an actor is not accountable for firing a weapon on set “flies in the face of common sense and the law.”
“Safety protocols may be considered at trial, but they are not the law,” she said in a statement. “This indictment was the result of a careful assessment by the grand jury of all the facts and the law. It is important to respect the grand jury’s decision to indict, and to allow the criminal justice system to proceed to trial where the case will be decided on its merits.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, an armorer on set for Rust, was previously charged with involuntary manslaughter alongside Baldwin. In August, she pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled for February.
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