Alec Baldwin has dodged a legal bullet in the Halyna Hutchins’ death case. The multi-Emmy-winning actor will not be facing involuntary manslaughter claims in the mini-trial scheduled to begin in New Mexico in less than two weeks.
Sources told Deadline that special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, who were recently appointed to the case, are expected to file paperwork soon to dismiss the charges without prejudice. This means that while the charges are dropped for now, the case could be reopened in the future as the investigation continues.
Baldwin’s legal team, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, are pleased with the decision and are encouraging a proper investigation into the circumstances of the tragic accident. The Santa Fe’s District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the situation.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” said Baldwin attorneys.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Baldwin’s co-defendant and ex-Rust armorer, still faces charges, keeping the investigation open and giving prosecutors the power to subpoena going forward.
Previously, both Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin had pleaded not guilty. Despite Baldwin’s repeated insistence that he did not pull the trigger on the prop gun that killed Halyna Hutchins, an FBI report released last year disagreed with his account. Baldwin’s lawyers are now contesting the state of the gun, and further investigation into the firearm appears likely as part of any renewed probe.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
