Alec Baldwin, acquitted…For now: The prosecution drops the charges for involuntary manslaughter in the trial for the incident that ended the life of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’

Prosecutor’s office drops involuntary manslaughter charges that appeared in January against Alec Baldwin for the incident that ended the life of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’. But that doesn’t mean Baldwin is entirely exonerated. The prosecutors in charge of the case, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, clarify that the investigation remains “active and ongoing”and that the charges could be re-filed at a later date.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was 42 when the gun Baldwin was holding on the set of the western ‘Rust’ went off, fatally wounding her.. The actor has since maintained that it was all an unfortunate accident and that he did not pull the trigger but that the weapon, which should have contained blanks but contained live ammunition, fired itself.

Baldwin was indicted in January this year on involuntary manslaughter charges for the events that occurred in October 2021, but the legal deadline to resolve the matter was drawing to a close and Prosecutors have stated that “new facts have come to light that require further investigation and forensic analysis” and that make it impossible to proceed against Baldwin in the allotted time.. In the statement, Morrissey and Lewis explain that “we are dropping the manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin for further investigation. This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal guilt and charges may be refiled.”.

However, the accusation against Hanna Gutierrez Reedthe one in charge of supervising the weapons in the filming, “remains unchanged”, and the 25-year-old faces a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.

The news reaches Baldwin back on the set of ‘Rust’ after a 17-month hiatus. In October of last year, Matthew Hutchins, the former husband of the cinematographer, announced that he and the producers of ‘Rust’, including Baldwin, had reached an agreement, while also revealing that the film will resume production with the addition of to the film as executive producer.

Until now, the only person convicted of the event is Dave Halls, the assistant directorwho on March 31 was found guilty of negligent use of a weapon and sentenced to six months probation.