Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter Charge In Shooting
Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a refiled charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins.
According to the Los Angeles Times, his legal team waived his right to an arraignment hearing.
Baldwin was expected to appear at a virtual hearing at the First Judicial District Court of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday (February 1).
But on Wednesday (January 31), he filed his waiver of arraignment and pleaded not guilty.
Court documents obtained by the LA Times quoted the actor saying, “I plead not guilty to all of the charges in the complaint or citation.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Baldwin was indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge on January 19.
The charge came after the recent findings by the Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona.
They were brought on board by prosecutors to run a series of tests on the firearm that ended Hutchins’ life. It’s also the gun that the former ‘SNL’ star claimed he didn’t pull the trigger on.
As you’ll recall, in an interview with ABC News in 2021, Baldwin said he followed Hutchins’ direction. He pulled the hammer back as far as he could without cocking it, as instructed.
“She’s guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle,” he said. “I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit.”
“So, I take the gun and I start to cock the gun. I’m not going to pull the trigger,” Baldwin continued. “And I cock the gun, I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun – the gun goes off.”
Further in the interview, the New Yorker denied ever pulling the trigger on Halyna when he pointed the gun at her.
However, an investigation conducted by the forensic experts disputed Baldwin’s claim.
Based on the tests conducted, the experts said in a statement via AP:
“Given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
Their findings reportedly played a significant role in the legal proceedings of Baldwin’s recent charge.
Because of what they ended up uncovering after inspecting the gun to a greater extent, the prosecutors returned to the initial charges against Baldwin and presented the case to a grand jury.
As a result, Baldwin was indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
The cinematographer, a wife and mother of one, died on the New Mexico set of the actor’s film, ‘Rust,’ during rehearsals for a scene on October 21, 2021.
Baldwin was supposed to draw his gun, raise it in the air, and start to cock the pistol.
He claimed he was handed the firearm and discharged what he thought was a prop, subsequently killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Throughout the legal proceedings, however, Baldwin has maintained his innocence, contending that he was handed a “cold gun,” a firearm without live rounds.
Additionally, he has vehemently denied being aware of the gun being loaded with live ammunition.
