On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally wounded on the set of Rust after a prop gun held by lead actor Alec Baldwin misfired a live round. By January 31 of this year, Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were formally charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the “mini-trial” was set to begin in New Mexico in just a few weeks. However, word’s now come in that the criminal charges against Baldwin are being dropped.
This update comes to us from Deadline, which reports that special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to file paperwork that will dismiss the charges against the 30 Rock alum “without prejudice.” The prosecutors are set to continue their investigation into the tragic incident that unfolded at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, so there is the possibility that the case could be resumed at some point. It was also mentioned that the charges leveled against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are not being dropped, this, as the publication put it, “keeping the probe open and retaining subpoena power for prosecutors going forward.”
