Judge tosses out involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin



A New Mexico judge tossed out involuntary manslaughter charges against Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin on Friday in a stunning development.

Baldwin was facing charges over the Oct. 2021 accidental shooting on the set of his movie "Rust" that took the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained his innocence and even claimed at one point that he didn't even pull the trigger on the gun.

'The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant.'

Baldwin's attorneys argued that prosecutors were hiding new evidence after they failed to hand over the evidence to the defense. The evidence were bullets that they said were relevant to the case.

Lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey testified that she did not believe the bullets had evidentiary value, but the judge disagreed.

“The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant,” Sommer said. “Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.”

Baldwin broke down in tears after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer made her decision.

No new charges can be brought up against Baldwin.

Baldwin could have faced up to 18 months in prison had he been convicted.

This is a breaking story and will updated with additional information.

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Prosecutors will recharge Alec Baldwin over lethal movie shooting after results from independent forensic test



Prosecutors in New Mexico said that they would file charges against actor Alec Baldwin again over the shooting incident that claimed the life of a cinematographer on the set of his "Rust" movie.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said that the charges against Baldwin would be brought before a Santa Fe grand jury in November.

The accidental shooting injured director Joel Souza and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin was holding the gun when it went off, but he has claimed numerous times that he did not pull the trigger on the weapon.

Prosecutors say that an independent forensic test has found that Baldwin must have pulled the trigger on the revolver in order for it to go off.

“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” said prosecutors.

"We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial," the statement continued.

Attorneys for Baldwin responded with a brief statement.

"It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court," the statement said.

The actor had been previously charged with involuntary manslaughter, but that charge was dropped in April. A weapons handler on the movie named Hannah Gutierrez is facing trial in 2024.

In October, Baldwin and the movie's producers settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Halyna Hutchins. They went on to finish filming the movie in May.

Here's more about the lethal 'Rust' shooting:

Prosecutors say Alec Baldwin has 'criminal culpability' in 'Rust' shooting | ABCNL www.youtube.com

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Breaking: All criminal charges against Alec Baldwin dropped



Sources close to the investigation into the lethal shooting on a movie set say that all criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin will be dropped soon.

The development was first reported by Deadline.

Baldwin had been charged with involuntary manslaughter after the October 2021 shooting on the set of "Rust," a movie he starred in and produced. Baldwin shot live rounds out of a gun during rehearsal of a scene and shot both the cinematographer and the director. The 42-year-old cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, died while the director suffered only superficial wounds.

Attorneys for Baldwin confirmed the report via a statement to Deadline.

“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” said Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.

In his first interview after the shooting on Dec. 2021, Baldwin claimed that he had never pulled the trigger of the gun.

"The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never," said Baldwin at the time.

The actor settled a civil lawsuit alleging wrongful death by the family of the cinematographer in Oct. 2022. The armorer from the movie set is also facing charges, but those could be dismissed as well. Both she and Baldwin had pled not guilty to the charges.

Baldwin has earned the ire of many on the right after he used his social media platform to champion left-wing causes and bash conservatives. He also parodied former President Donald Trump for "Saturday Night Live" for the length of Trump's administration.

Here's more about the Baldwin shooting:

How Did Alec Baldwin Use DEADLY Prop Gun With Live Bullet? | The News & Why It Matters | Ep 890 www.youtube.com

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Alec Baldwin and others may face criminal charges over fatal on-set shooting, district attorney says in filing



A filing from a district attorney indicated that actor Alec Baldwin may face criminal charges over the fatal on-set shooting that took the life of a cinematographer and injured the movie's director in October 2021.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies filed an emergency request for additional funding in order to continue the investigation into the accidental shooting. The filing indicated that charges will be filed against Baldwin and several others involved in the incident.

“During the filming of [Rust], Alec Baldwin shot and killed Halyna Hutchins and injured Joel Souza while rehearsing a scene. Many individuals had handled the gun that ultimately killed Hutchins and injured Souza,” Carmack-Altwies wrote.

Santa Fe prosecutors have determined that some defendants from the movie need to be prosecuted "immediately," she added.

“I am ready to start the decision of what individuals will be criminally charged in this case,” she said.

Baldwin was maintained his innocence and said that the gun went off accidentally. He also said in an emotional interview that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, which should have been checked for safety according to industry standards.

"The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never," said Baldwin in the interview from December.

Baldwin's attorney released a statement about the filing from the district attorney.

“The DA has made clear that she has not received the sheriff’s report or made any decisions about who, if anyone, might be charged in this case,” said Luke Nikas.

Carmack-Altwies argued in the filing that if additional funding was not provided that it could negatively affect law enforcement in other cases in the community. She requested $635,500 from New Mexico’s Board of Finance and was approved for about half of that sum, $317,000.

Baldwin was playing the lead role in the "Rust" movie when the fatal incident occurred. He was a writer and co-producer for the film, which may mean that he could face charges based on whether industry standards were implemented properly.

Here's more about the newest development:

Alec Baldwin May Potentially Face Criminal Charges in ‘Rust’ Shootingwww.youtube.com

Search warrant issued for Alec Baldwin's phone after he reportedly refused to voluntarily turn it over to police



A search warrant was issued on Thursday for the phone of actor Alec Baldwin as investigators probed the circumstances of the lethal accidental shooting on the set of "Rust," Baldwin’s latest movie.

The latest development in the investigation was documented in a court filing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the movie set was located.

The Oct. 22 shooting took the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director 48-year-old director Joel Souza. Baldwin reportedly fired the fatal shot but later said in an interview that he didn't pull the trigger, and that the trigger wasn't pulled at all.

"The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never," said Baldwin during the ABC News interview.

No charges have yet been filed in the case, but the investigation has not yet been completed.

Detective Alexandria Hancock said in an affidavit attached to the warrant for Baldwin's phone that officials asked the actor to voluntarily turn over the phone, but that his attorney told them to seek a warrant.

Prior to the shooting, several movie crew members walked off of the set in an apparent protest of inadequate safety standards because the production reportedly had a low budget. Baldwin was a producer of the movie as well as the star actor, which could expose him to legal liability in the shooting.

A separate report claimed that the gun used by Baldwin in the tragic shooting had been used for casual live ammunition target practice the morning of the incident.

Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin deactivated their Twitter accounts weeks after the incident.

When Baldwin was asked directly in an ABC News interview where the live ammunition came from, he said he did not know.

"I have no idea!" Baldwin blurted out. "Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property."

Here's more about the tragic ‘Rust’ shooting:

Search warrant issued for Alec Baldwin cell phone after movie set shooting | Breakingwww.youtube.com

Crew member who handed loaded gun to Alec Baldwin admits he didn't check all of the rounds, investigators say



A crew member told investigators that he failed to check all of the rounds in the loaded gun that he handed to actor Alec Baldwin in the tragic shooting that killed a cinematographer.

Baldwin was rehearsing a scene last week from "Rust," a film he had co-produced, written, and starred in as the lead actor. He shot Halyna Hutchins, 42, in the stomach, killing her, and wounding the film's director, Joel Souza, 48.

In the first media briefing about the case by local law enforcement authorities, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that assistant director David Halls made the shocking admission.

"The facts are clear – a weapon was handed to Mr Baldwin, the weapon is functional and fired a live round killing Ms. Hutchins and injuring Mr. Souza," Mendoza said.

He went on to say that police were able to ascertain that Baldwin had fired a live round from a F.LLI Pietta Long Colt .45 caliber revolver.

"We believe that we have in our possession the firearm that was fired by Mr. Baldwin. This is the firearm we believe discharged the bullet," Mendoza told reporters.

"We also believe we have the spent shell casing from the bullet that was fired from the gun," he added. "We regard this specific spent casing and recovered projectile to be the live round that was fired from the revolver by Mr. Baldwin."

Mendoza went on to say that police had seized about 500 rounds of ammunition from the set, among those being dummy rounds, blanks, and what investigators believe are live rounds.

"We have recovered what we believe to be possible, additional, live rounds on set," the sheriff told reporters.

On Monday, it was reported that some members of the crew had been using the same gun for target practice the morning of the lethal and tragic shooting.

The sheriff acknowledged the report and said those claims were being actively investigated.

Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said that criminal charges were possible but that prosecutors had not decided whether to file them yet.

"I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry," Mendoza concluded.

Here's more about the newest developments in the case:

Gun fired by Alec Baldwin on 'Rust' set contained live roundwww.youtube.com

Report: Gun used by Alec Baldwin in lethal shooting had been used for live-ammo target practice that morning



The gun used by Alec Baldwin in the lethal accidental shooting on the set of his latest film had been used for live ammunition target practice that morning, according to one report.

The Wrap reported that a number of crew members from the "Rust" film set had taken some guns from the production to shoot at beer cans with live ammunition the morning of the tragic shooting. The report said that the gun used in the lethal accidental shooting later was among those used.

The Wrap reported that the shooting of targets was called "plinking" by crew members.

The fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Baldwin is still under investigation. The director of the movie was also injured in the same shooting.

On Tuesday the Santa Fe district attorney said that criminal charges had not been ruled out in the case.

"Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table," said Mary Carmack-Altwies to the New York Times.

A search warrant released by law enforcement said that Baldwin had been handed the gun by first assistant director David Halls, who yelled "cold gun" to indicate that it did not have live ammunition in it. The document says Baldwin was rehearsing a scene when he pointed the gun at the camera lens when it fired.

Another report from the Los Angeles Times said that many of the crew members had walked off the set the morning of the shooting in protest of working conditions. The production company replaced them with nonunion members, according to the report.

"Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting," said a crew member source with knowledge of the incident. "There was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set."

Baldwin tweeted about the incident from his account on Thursday.

"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," he said. "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

Here's more about the tragic shooting:

'Rust' crew members reportedly used guns with live ammunition hours before deadly shooting on setwww.youtube.com

Union workers walked off Alec Baldwin movie set hours before fatal shooting to protest working conditions at low-budget film



Hours before actor Alec Baldwin unintentionally shot and killed one and injured another at a movie set, union workers had walked off in order to protest working conditions at the low-budget film.

Police are still investigating the tragic death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot by Baldwin on Thursday with a prop gun. 48-year-old director Joel Souza was also wounded during the incident near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that just six hours before the fatal shooting a group of camera crew members had walked off to protest working conditions.

The crew had been in a dispute with the film's producers over their pay and travel arrangements. Baldwin was a writer, co-producer, and starred as the lead role in the film entitled "Rust."

On Thursday the camera crew was setting up their equipment when non-union workers came on set to replace them. About half a dozen abandoned the film in protest.

The report quoted a crew member knowledgable about the incident who claimed, "Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting."

That person also claimed that there had been two misfires from the prop gun on Saturday and another misfire the week before.

"There was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set," they added.

Rust Movie Productions LLC responded to the Times report in a statement denying knowledge of any labor dispute.

"The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " said the company. "Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time."

Baldwin released a statement about the incident through his Twitter account Thursday.

"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," he tweeted.

"I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna," he added.

Production on the film is on hold for the time being and no charges have yet been filed.

Here's a news video about the tragic incident:

Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on movie set killing crew memberwww.youtube.com