Everything We Know About Alec Baldwin's Not Guilty Plea In Rust Shooting Case
It's been hard to keep up with all of the details of the "Rust" shooting since a lot has transpired since the incident took place in October of 2021. While Alec Baldwin was on the film set, he accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a bullet from a prop gun, which he thought was loaded with dummy rounds. The single bullet struck and killed Hutchins, and it also grazed director Joel Souza. Fortunately, Souza recovered from his injuries.
In February 2022, Fox News reported that Halyna's husband, Matthew Hutchins, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and several other parties for punitive damages. But, a few months later, Matthew dropped the lawsuit against Baldwin as well as the armorer on set and the production company. "We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of 'Rust,' including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed," Matthew said in a statement.
Baldwin's legal woes, however, are far from over. The New Mexico District Attorney charged Baldwin and armorer Hannah Guiterrez-Reed with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023. The charges were downgraded the following month with the firearm enhancement charge being dropped. This means that instead of the possibility of five years in prison, Baldwin is looking at a maximum sentence of 18 months if he's convicted. Now, Baldwin has entered a plea.
Alec Baldwin enters a plea of not guilty in Rust shooting
We've seen a lot of ups and downs in the aftermath of the deadly shooting on the set of "Rust," but if there's been one thing that's remained constant, it's Alec Baldwin maintaining his innocence. After the district attorney charged the actor with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, TMZ reports that Baldwin has entered a plea of "not guilty."
Baldwin entered the plea on February 23, ahead of his arraignment, which means he won't need to attend a court date that was scheduled for February 24. However, the judge still had a few conditions for the "It's Complicated" star to abide by during his release. Some of the conditions include no drinking, no possession of a firearm, and no talking to any witnesses from the shooting. This kind of leaves a blurred line as Baldwin can still talk to "Rust" cast members and people who were present at the time of the shooting, but only in regards to continuing filming "Rust" and not the shooting itself.
In spite of the case, it seems like the show will still go on. In February, Variety reported that the film "Rust" is set to resume filming this spring. Instead of picking up the pieces where they left off on set in New Mexico, the movie will get a facelift and move production to Montana. At the time of Hutchins' death, the cast and crew were about halfway through filming.