21th April 2023, Mumbai: According to his lawyer and sources in the US media, manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in relation to a deadly shooting on a movie set are expected to be dismissed, as the case is being taken over by newly appointed special prosecutors.
In January, Alec Baldwin faced charges following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in New Mexico in 2021. He entered a plea of not guilty.
During rehearsals, Alec Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 gun which went off and fatally shot Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger and was under the impression that the gun was safe to use.
Lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro expressed their satisfaction with the dismissal of the case against Alec Baldwin, and urged for a thorough investigation to be conducted into the details surrounding the unfortunate incident.
Although the case against Alec Baldwin has been dismissed, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, who were recently appointed to the case, may continue to investigate the incident and potentially bring up new charges in the future.
In recent months, the criminal case against Baldwin has faced several legal setbacks. Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of the weapon that caused Hutchins’ death, were both charged with two alternative counts of voluntary manslaughter.
However, the “firearm enhancement” charge was later dropped due to a reported technical mistake made by the prosecutors.
The lawyers representing Hannah Gutierrez-Reed released a statement on Thursday, stating that the newly appointed special prosecutor team has conducted a comprehensive and meticulous investigation into the matter. It is currently unclear whether Gutierrez-Reed will face any charges as a result of this ongoing investigation.