Alec Baldwin celebrated his 66th birthday on Instagram with a baby picture, amidst the backdrop of a court case relating to the production of the western film Rust. The tragedy struck when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead during a rehearsal with a Colt .45 being used as a prop. Baldwin, who was holding the gun when it went off but denied pulling the trigger, has been charged with manslaughter. As the trial approached, Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria, gathered their seven children to prepare for the birthday celebrations, including making desserts and cakes for the occasion.
Before Baldwin could decide to accept a plea deal that would have seen him serve no jail time, prosecutors rescinded the offer and indicated that they would be indicting him. This decision came after a similar plea deal was accepted by Dave Halls, the first assistant director on Rust, who did not serve prison time after pleading to a count of negligent handling of a deadly weapon. Baldwin’s lawyers have accused the prosecutors in the case of leaking confidential information about the grand jury proceedings to a reporter, and sought to have the case dismissed.
The shooting incident that occurred in October 2021 involved Baldwin practicing drawing out his gun from the holster when the gun went off, resulting in the death of cinematographer Hutchins. Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were also involved in the incident, with Halls avoiding jail time, and Gutierrez-Reed facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. The trial of Gutierrez-Reed painted a picture of a film production in a state of ‘rushed chaos,’ with members of the crew quitting due to safety concerns the night before the incident.
Baldwin and his attorney Alex Spiro have accused prosecutors of rigging the grand jury process by including witnesses who were biased and failing to present all the evidence from FBI testing of the pistol used in the tragedy. The allegations claim that the revolver could fire without the trigger being pulled when fully loaded, contradicting Baldwin’s claims that he only pulled back the hammer. Baldwin settled a civil lawsuit filed against him by Hutchins’ widow and father of their son, allowing Rust production to continue at a new location with Matthew Hutchins as an executive producer.
During the trial of Gutierrez-Reed, Baldwin was accused of violating basic gun safety by pointing the gun at Hutchins, resulting from a rushed production environment led by the actor as a primary producer. The criminal case is not the only legal proceeding arising from the shooting incident, as the New Mexico safety regulator fined the producers for safety failings. Baldwin’s defense team has sought to have the case dismissed due to alleged leaks of confidential information and jury process rigging by the prosecutors. The trial is set to take place later in the year, with Baldin facing serious charges in connection to the Rust production tragedy.
