The involuntary manslaughter case against Rust star Alec Baldwin was dismissed by a judge on Friday. The actor was seen breaking down in tears. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” said 1st Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. “The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy.” Here’s the complete timeline of the trial.
October 6, 2021:
The New Mexico Film Office announced that Rust was in production in Santa Fe, with filming supposed to wrap by November 2021.
Oct. 21, 2021:
Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set of the Western while he was training with a Colt.45 pistol. Joel Souza, the director, suffered injuries in the shooting as well.
According to a search warrant document, first assistant director David Halls had given the gun to Baldwin and proclaimed it a “cold gun,” informing the crew that a weapon devoid of live rounds was being used. But according to the investigators, Hutchins was shot and killed by a live round inside the gun. At 1:48 p.m., the crew reported the shooting to emergency responders. Hutchins was transported by air helicopter to the hospital and was pronounced dead at 3:37 p.m.
October 22, 2021:
In a statement, Baldwin described the death as a “tragic accident” and promised his complete cooperation with the police probe.
Nov. 17, 2021:
Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor for the movie, revealed she had filed a legal lawsuit against Baldwin, saying the actor was “playing Russian roulette” by aiming a Colt.45 handgun at Hutchins.
December 2, 2021:
Baldwin claimed to have “no idea” how a live bullet ended up on his film set, but he “didn’t pull the trigger” on the gun in his first interview after the incident with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. Additionally, he expressed his doubt that he would be prosecuted for the tragedy.
Jan. 12, 2022:
Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer for the movie, sued, claiming that the ammunition crates provided by the prop supplier “failed to state” that “the contents contained both dummy and live ammunition.”
Feb. 15, 2022:
Hutchins’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that Baldwin and other parties’ careless actions and cost-cutting measures caused Hutchins’ death.
October 5, 2022:
Hutchins’ family declared they had reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against the producers of the movie.
As part of the settlement, Halyna’s husband Matthew Hutchins assumed executive producer duties for the movie, and it was declared that the director and main cast would begin shooting again in January 2023.
Nov. 11, 2022:
Baldwin sued over the shooting death, claiming other members of the film team were negligent. The lawsuit filed by the film’s script supervisor previous year was followed by a cross-complaint that identified the Western’s first assistant director, armorer, ammo supplier, and prop master as defendants.
Jan. 19, 2023:
In relation to Hutchins’ death, prosecutors declared that Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed would face charges of involuntary manslaughter.
The district attorney’s office declared that Halls, the assistant director, had given permission to enter a plea of not guilty to the negligent use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors said that a suspended sentence and six months of probation are part of the agreement.
Jan. 31, 2023:
Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed were formally charged with involuntary manslaughter.
February 23, 2023:
Baldwin had been released on his own recognizance after entering a not guilty plea to manslaughter charges. Baldwin’s release was also subject to a district judge’s order, which said that he was not allowed to own a gun, drink alcohol, or interact with any prospective witnesses unless it was necessary for the movie’s filming.
April 20, 2023:
New Mexico special prosecutors dismissed the charges against Baldwin, citing “new facts” in the case. “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” they said.
Oct. 17, 2023:
The grand jury said that they would hear the case from the special prosecutors, who stated that they think Baldwin has “criminal culpability” for the shooting death and that they want to “determine whether probable cause exists to bind Baldwin over on criminal charges.“
Jan. 19, 2024:
Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Jan. 31, 2024:
Baldwin entered a plea of not guilty in a court filing waiving his arraignment on involuntary manslaughter.
March 6, 2024:
Following a nearly three-hour trial, Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by the jury. She was found not guilty of tampering with the evidence.
April 15, 2024:
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Gutierrez to the maximum of 18 months in prison.
“You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon,” the judge said. “But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive. A husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother.“
May 24, 2024:
Baldwin’s request to have the involuntary manslaughter accusation dismissed was turned down by a judge in New Mexico. During the grand jury proceedings, Baldwin’s lawyers had accused the prosecution of wrongdoing.
June 28, 2024:
A move to drop the charges against the pistol that sustained damage during forensic testing was denied by the court.
In a separate court petition on June 27, Gutierrez Reed’s attorneys asked for her release from prison and charged the prosecution of hiding information that would have benefited the defendant in her manslaughter trial, according to Reuters. As per the document seen by Reuters, the gun used on the scene showed “unexplained toolmarks on critical surfaces of the trigger and sear,” according to an assessment from prosecutors’ own weapons specialists.
July 8, 2024:
The judge decided that the testimony of Baldwin’s production work on the movie Rust would not be considered in court. The judge ruled that the evidence presented to the jury was biased and unclear, despite the prosecution’s attempts to demonstrate Baldwin’s greater responsibility and influence on the set beyond his status as an actor.
July 10, 2024:
Opening comments were made at Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial.
Baldwin was accused by the prosecution of being careless with guns on set and breaking the “cardinal rules of firearm safety.” Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson stated, “He pointed the gun at another human being, cocked the hammer and pulled that trigger, in reckless disregard for Ms. Hutchins’ safety.“
The defense accused the first assistant director and the armorer of the movie of permitting the prop gun to be loaded with a live cartridge. Despite the indescribable tragedy, Alec Baldwin did not break any laws. He was an actor who was portraying Harlan Rust. Attorney Alex Spiro stated that an actor portraying a character is capable of doing deadly things. “These ‘cardinal rules’ are not cardinal rules on a movie set.”
July 12, 2024:
Dramatically, the judge presiding over the case dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, ruling that prosecutors had improperly given the evidence to the defense.
Sommer took the defense’s side and dismissed the case with prejudice, barring further proceedings.
