Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Rust Shooting Case
Alec Baldwin is maintaining his innocence.
Weeks after the Emmy winner's involuntary manslaughter indictment was reinstated by a grand jury, he pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the fatal on-set shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Court documents obtained by E! News show that Baldwin entered his plea at a Santa Fe court Jan. 31 while also waiving his right to an arraignment. The records also show that 65-year-old was granted permission to remain free without having to post bail.
Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot in October 2021 during a rehearsal on the set of Rust by a lead projectile fired from a vintage revolver used as a prop that Baldwin was holding. In February 2023, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the case. The charge was dropped that April after his lawyers accused prosecutors of committing "a basic legal error" by charging him under a version of a firearm-enhancement statute that did not exist at the time of the shooting.
The grand jury's Jan. 19 indictment, obtained by E! News, charged Baldwin with two different counts of involuntary manslaughter—both of which are felonies. One includes "negligent use of a firearm" and the other is "without due caution or circumspection"—which also alleges that he caused Hutchins' death "by an act committed with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others."
The indictment also states that the actor can only be convicted of one of the counts. If he is, he faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison, NBC News reported.
After the indictment was issued, Baldwin's attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro told E! News, "We look forward to our day in court."
Baldwin has long denied responsibility in the shooting, which also wounded director Joel Souza. In a December 2021 interview with ABC News, the 30 Rock alum insisted he hadn't pulled the trigger on the gun and said he was told the firearm didn't contain any live rounds and that it was loaded with only blanks.
However, a 2023 forensic report commissioned by the prosecution and viewed by the New York Times—following its release last August through a public records request—determined that Baldwin must have pulled the trigger for the weapon to go off.
In October, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said they planned to bring the case to grand jury.
"After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza," they said in a statement to multiple outlets. "We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial."
While production on Rust was halted after the shooting, filming of the movie ultimately resumed early last year and wrapped in May.
"Last day of filming RUST in Montana," Alec wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside a photo of costars Patrick Scott McDermott and Frances Fisher. "It's been a long and difficult road. But we reach the end of the trail today. Congratulations to Joel, Bianca and the entire cast and crew.
Nothing less than a miracle."