A New Mexico judge has ruled against Alec Baldwin's motion to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The incident occurred in 2021 on the set of the film "Rust," where Hutchins was shot with a live round after Baldwin pointed a gun at her while setting up a camera shot. Baldwin has consistently maintained that he did not pull the trigger, a claim central to his defense.
The trial is set to begin on July 10. Baldwin's defense team argued that the grand jury indictment was flawed, alleging that the prosecutor did not inform jurors they could question defense witnesses and withheld evidence beneficial to Baldwin. However, District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer rejected this argument, allowing the trial to proceed.
In a related development, "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for loading the live round into the revolver Baldwin was using. This incident is noted as the first on-set fatal shooting involving a live round mistaken for a dummy or blank round since the silent era of Hollywood.
Historically, on-set shootings in Hollywood have typically been resolved through civil litigation, as seen in the 1993 death of Brandon Lee, who was killed by a blank round that dislodged a bullet stuck in a revolver's barrel during the filming of "The Crow." Baldwin's case is unprecedented in that it has led to criminal charges against a Hollywood actor for an on-set death.
