The family settled a lawsuit against Baldwin in October
Halyna Hutchins’ family have said they support the decision to charge Alec Baldwin with manslaughter over the shooting of the cinematographer in 2021.
On Thursday, New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies confirmed that Baldwin would be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the Rust film set shooting of Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin was holding and discharged the prop gun that killed the cinematographer 15 months ago.
The 64-year-old, alongside armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will both face two counts of involuntary manslaughter related to the shooting on the western film set.
The Hutchins family, including her husband Matthew and nine-year-old son Andros, welcomed the decision. Their lawyer Brian J Panish read out a statement from the family which said: “It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law.”
Panish added that Hutchins had been killed “with conscious disregard for human life” and stated that an “independent investigation also supports charges are warranted.”
The family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have said they support the decision to charge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter.
They added: "It is a comfort to the family that in New Mexico no one is above the law."
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Assistant director David Halls has signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the decision was in keeping with “her commitment to pursue justice for all victims”.
The statement said the terms “include a suspended sentence and six months of probation”.
Carmack-Altwies said: “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew.
“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be “charged in the alternative” with the two counts of involuntary manslaughter meaning it will be up to a jury to decide, not simply if they are guilty, but under which definition of involuntary manslaughter they were guilty.
Last February, Hutchins’ family launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, the film’s armorer and other producers.
In October, the family reached an undisclosed settlement with Baldwin.
In a statement at the time, widower Matthew said: “I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin)
“All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Related links:
- FBI release findings of Rust investigation after shooting of Halyna Hutchins
- Never-before-seen footage released from Rust set of moments before and after Halyna Hutchins’ death
- Alec Baldwin’s heartbreaking reaction after learning Halyna Hutchins died shown in police video
