Actor Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter

Actor Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the western movie Rust in New Mexico.

Court documents showed Mr Baldwin (65) entered his plea as he waived his right to an arraignment nearly two weeks after a grand jury indicted the actor on January 19th, reviving a criminal case that had been dismissed months earlier.

The Emmy-winning performer, who starred in the hit NBC television comedy 30 Rock, was allowed to remain free without posting bond under the arraignment waiver filed with the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe.

The case, which has sparked debate about firearms safety in the production of movies and television, has little or no precedent as an instance of a Hollywood star facing criminal prosecution for an on-set fatal shooting.

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Mr Baldwin has denied responsibility for Ms Hutchins’s death, insisting he was told the gun was “cold”, meaning it contained only blank rounds, and that the weapon fired without him pulling the trigger.

The original charges were dropped over questions of whether the reproduction Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with could have been modified to allow the gun to go off by itself.

Prosecutors said they sought the grand jury indictment after an independent forensic test found the gun would not fire unless the trigger was pulled.

The same bullet that killed Hutchins on October 21st, 2021, also wounded director Joel Souza.

Mr Baldwin’s plea came days after special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said in a court filing that photos and other evidence showed the live round was brought on set by the movie’s weapons handler, Hannah Gutierrez.

According to courtroom testimony and police records, the pistol was handled by Ms Gutierrez before it was picked up by the film’s assistant director, David Halls, who told Mr Baldwin the gun was “cold.”

Ms Gutierrez faces a February 21st trial on separate involuntary manslaughter charges.

Mr Halls entered a plea deal and received a six-month suspended sentence on a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. – Reuters