Alec Baldwin has pled not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in New Mexico. Baldwin's plea comes after a grand jury chose to indict Baldwin over the death of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film Rust, for which Baldwin is also a producer. The grand jury chose to indict Baldwin on similar charges to ones that prosecutors initially dropped in April of last year.
The renewed indictment stems from a new gun analysis that was presented to the grand jury in Santa Fe. Baldwin has claimed that he pulled back the hammer on the replica firearm but did not pull the trigger. Baldwin will remain free pending trial but is prohibited from owning firearms, consuming alcohol, and leaving the country. He is also allowed limited contact with other members of the Rust set for the purposes of promotion. A date for Baldwin's trial is yet to be set.
Alec Baldwin & Rust: What We Know
Rust finished filming in May 2023, with Baldwin returning to set to finish his scenes. The film, which is working on a budget of $8 million, does not have a release date. The break in production caused several recastings, with Jensen Ackles and Brady Noon both leaving the production due to scheduling conflicts. The film follows Baldwin as a grizzled outlaw who must attempt to save his grandson from a blood-thirsty US Marshal.
However, the shooting incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was not the only incident on set. A few weeks after Hutchins was killed, a rigger was bitten by a spider and needed numerous surgeries to avoid an arm amputation. Furthermore, multiple reports about lapses in on-site safety were reportedly raised and ignored by supervisors. The on-set armorer has been charged and is awaiting trial in the case. Meanwhile, another charged individual took a plea deal earlier this year. Baldwin, who is also a producer on the film, has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
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