Silke Jasso
Alec Baldwin has formally pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in relation to the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the set of Rust, who died in October 2021 in New Mexico. On Thursday, court documents obtained by PEOPLE revealed that Baldwin, 64, entered the plea in Santa Fe County First District court and waived his right to appear for the Feb. 24 hearing.
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Judge Mary Marlow Sommer went on to cancel the hearing scheduled for Friday, which would have been the first time Baldwin appeared in court since charges were brought against him and former Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on Jan. 31, according to Deadline.
Following the decision by prosecutors to drop the firearms enhancement charge, Baldwin entered a plea of not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge brought against. This charge carries a potential sentence of 18 months if he is found guilty. Meanwhile, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the former Rust armorer who faces the same involuntary manslaughter charge as Baldwin, also had the firearms enhancement charge dropped against her.
Alec Baldwin Enters Not Guilty Plea
“In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set,” Heather Brewer, spokesperson the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office, said through a statement. “The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys.”
In addition to criminal charges, Baldwin is also facing another civil lawsuit from Hutchins’ family in her death.
Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas issued a statement to on Jan. 19 in response to the announcement of criminal charges against the actor, claiming that the order distorted the tragic death of Hutchins and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” Nikas stated. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
