Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin was allowed to walk free as long as he doesn’t own a gun, abstained from alcohol and doesn’t speak with other witnesses of the shooting.
He is no longer required as he waived his first appearance.
Prosecutors dropped the firearms enhancement charge originally brought against Baldwin, which would have given the actor/producer a mandatory five years in jail had he been convicted of the involuntary manslaughter and firearms enhancement charges.
“In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set,” Heather Brewer, spokesperson the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement. “The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys.”
Hutchins died on Oct. 21, 2021, after Baldwin fired a gun on the set of “Rust” in New Mexico. Director Joel Souza was also injured.
