Next week, a judge in New Mexico plans to decide on whether Alec Baldwin should be indicted by a grand jury for the fatal shooting on the “Rust” set. This follows arguments on Friday claiming the proceedings were unfair to Baldwin.
In January, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021, at a movie ranch near Santa Fe. Baldwin, who was a lead actor and co-producer on the film, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which could lead to a maximum sentence of 1.5 years in prison.
During a virtual hearing on Friday, Baldwin’s lawyers argued that prosecutors had presented a biased case to the grand jury. They claimed prosecutors ignored evidence that could support Baldwin’s innocence and didn’t allow defense witnesses to testify.
Set of the show Rust (Via Will Gordon/Getty Images)
The incident occurred during a rehearsal when Baldwin pointed a gun at Hutchins, and it discharged, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he pulled the gun’s hammer but did not pull the trigger.
Baldwin’s legal team also argued that the grand jury received incomplete and misleading information about the gun and safety procedures on movie sets.
During the lengthy hearing, Baldwin’s defense attorneys criticized the special prosecutor, accusing her of not ensuring fairness and blocking access to defense evidence and witnesses.
“The situation was set up from the beginning,” said defense attorney Alex Spiro. “There were no defense witnesses, and no evidence binder of defense exhibits.” “They didn’t want the grand jury to hear from witnesses or see our evidence,” Spiro added.
