On Monday, the prosecutor’s office in Santa Fe, in the US state of New Mexico, significantly reduced the charges against US actor Alec Baldwin, who is being investigated for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who he shot during filming of western movie Rust in October 2021. Baldwin remains charged with involuntary manslaughter, but now faces a maximum of 18 months in prison instead of five years as originally stipulated.
The downsizing of the charge depends on the fact that Baldwin had been accused of involuntary homicide with a particular aggravating circumstance linked to the use of firearms, which provided for up to five years in prison. Baldwin’s lawyers had challenged this interpretation and the consequent strengthening of the sentence, arguing that it was unconstitutional Why the surcharge had been passed after Hutchins’ murder.
The appeal by Baldwin’s lawyers was initially contested by the Santa Fe prosecutor’s office, which finally decided to accept it, claiming that it had decided to reduce the charges “to avoid further litigation distractions by Baldwin and his lawyers”. The Santa Fe prosecutor’s decision also applies to the film’s weapons officer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who like Baldwin is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. Numerous legal experts they believe Now that Baldwin’s case can be dismissed entirely.
– Read also: Maybe Alec Baldwin shouldn’t have talked to the police