It could lead to Baldwin being held criminally responsible after all.
On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin practiced drawing an old-fashioned revolver on the set of the western film “Rust” near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although the gun wasn’t supposed to contain live ammunition, it went off, hitting Hutchins in the stomach and director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins later died in hospital.
New Mexico prosecutors have now announced they will re-charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter as new evidence has emerged. These are intended to refute Baldwin’s earlier claim that he did not pull the trigger. The case is now scheduled to go before a grand jury in mid-November.
Can Baldwin be prosecuted?
In an interview with The New York Times, prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis said a closer analysis of the gun revealed that Baldwin would have had to do more than cock the gun to fire it. Accordingly, it was necessary to pull the trigger on the weapon so that it could go off. The new findings would contradict statements made at the time by Baldwin, who claimed he did not pull the trigger. On that basis, Alec Baldwin could be held criminally responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza, prosecutors said.
“We believe it is appropriate to allow a panel of New Mexico citizens to decide from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held for criminal proceedings.”
The basis for the new findings are the reports shared in August by forensics expert Lucien C. Haag, who carried out further tests on the case.
Alec Baldwin’s two attorneys responded to the grand jury announcement: “It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy led to this misguided prosecution. We will respond to all allegations in court.”