Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter Charge In Fatal Shooting On Rust Set

Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges lodged against him by New Mexico prosecutors. The incident happened in the year 2021 during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico, reviving a dormant case against the A-list actor. The actor has maintained that he didn't pull the trigger on the firearm. 

Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty 

Alec was indicted for a second time after charges were initially dropped following a five-month investigation. Baldwin entered the not guilty plea in a court filing. This waived off his virtual court appearance scheduled for Thursday morning. He was not arrested.

However, there are many conditions put forward for his release. The actor is barred from possessing any firearms, leaving the country or coming into contact with anyone who may testify in the case. The court has permitted him to have contact with witnesses connected with the Rust production. He is not allowed to discuss the incident or potential testimony.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the order stated, “Discussion about the incident is permitted with the witnesses who are named as civil co-defendants only so long as such conversations are held exclusively in the presence of attorneys for civil litigation purposes”. It added, “The defendant will not directly or indirectly solicit witnesses or members of the case and crew to participate in the documentary with Moxie films or to obtain statements regarding safety on the Rust set outside of standards investigative procedures.”

If convicted, Baldwin will face a sentence of 18 months. 

More about the case 

Baldwin, who happens to be the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie Rust was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin claimed that he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.

The shooting has resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed those allegations.

With inputs from AP