Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, in court documents obtained by Access Hollywood.
Per the docs, which were filed on Feb. 23, the 64-year-old actor also waived his first formal court appearance.
A judge approved his waived appearance and also set conditions of release, which state in part that Baldwin must not own a gun or consume alcohol, and must obey all state, federal, tribal and local laws, according to the signed order obtained by Access.
The docs also state that the actor can have limited contact with any potential witnesses in connection with “Rust.”
“Defendant is permitted to have contact with potential witnesses only … in connection with completing the ‘Rust’ movie and other related and unrelated business matters; provided, however, that defendant is not permitted to discuss the accident at issue,” state District Judge Mary Marlowe said in a signed order.
On Jan. 31, Alec and the set’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with involuntary manslaughter, per court documents obtained by Access Hollywood at the time. In the filing, prosecutors accused them of failing to follow standard film safety protocols on set.
‘Rust’ Film Set Fatal Shooting of Haylna Hutchins Aftermath In Photos
View Gallery“[Baldwin and Reed’s] deviation from known standards, practice and protocol directly caused the fatal death of Hutchins,” the document reads.
Earlier this week, the New Mexico District Attorney’s office dropped the gun enhancement charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, potentially reducing the prison time they could both serve by five years. [email about this is attached]
Assistant Director David Halls was charged with a count of negligent use of a deadly weapon according to the court docs. He signed a plea agreement in January, a press release from the District Attorney’s office stated. The terms of his plea deal include a suspended sentence and six months of probation.
Hutchins was shot and killed by a live round of ammunition allegedly fired from a prop gun, which was held by Baldwin on the set of “Rust” in Oct. 2021.
Director Joel Souza was also shot and injured.
Baldwin has insisted that he was not aware the gun had a live round.
No charges have been filed related to “Rust” director Joel Souza’s non-fatal shooting.
-Emely Navarro