UPDATE
Feb 23, 2023 4:45 PM CST
Alec Baldwin on Thursday pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set. The plea was contained in a court filing after the actor asked to avoid appearing at a virtual hearing scheduled for Friday, the New York Times reports. Release conditions set by the court include that Baldwin cannot drink alcohol or have firearms or other weapons. He may be in contact with potential witnesses in the case but only concerning the completion of the film Rust; they're not to discuss the shooting or the trial. Baldwin is allowed to discuss the case with co-defendants in a civil case under specific conditions, per KTLA.
Feb 20, 2023 11:40 AM CST
Alec Baldwin has notched a significant legal win in the fatal movie-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The district attorney in New Mexico's Sante Fe County has dropped a "gun enhancement" charge against the actor, reports TMZ. Had Baldwin been convicted of that charge, it would have meant a minimum sentence of 5 years. He still faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, but it's possible he could avoid jail time altogether even if convicted, notes the website. The maximum term would be 18 months in prison.
Earlier this month, Baldwin's attorneys filed a motion calling the enhancement charge invalid, per the Hollywood Reporter. They accused prosecutors of trying to charge Baldwin under a statute that was amended seven months after the shooting. The enhancement law in place at the time Baldwin accidentally shot Hutchins said a person could be so charged only if the gun was "brandished" with the "intent to intimidate or injure a person." The subsequent amendment loosened the standards, but since it wasn't in place when the shooting took place, Baldwin's legal team accused prosecutors of committing an "elementary legal error." (More Alec Baldwin stories.)
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