Earlier today, the DA in charge of Alec Baldwin’s case and the shooting on the “Rust” set announced that he would be facing criminal charges for the shooting. Baldwin faces up to five years in jail for the charges, which include involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act.
Well, in response to the announcement of the charges, Baldwin and his lawyer absolutely lost it. Specifically, they did their best to throw the blame on others and vowed to fight the charges to the bitter end. Speaking in a statement, they said:
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
Months ago, ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin about the shooting in an exclusive interview, asking him “Do you feel guilt?”
Baldwin, in a response that makes it quite hard for many to feel sympathy for him, responded by saying “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Watch that cringe-inducing interview here:
When the DA announced that Alec Baldwin would be facing criminal charges for the shooting, she said, in a post on Facebook:
“After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew,” Carmack-Altwies said. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Continuing, the DA went on to say:
The first charge can be referred to simply as involuntary manslaughter. For this charge to be proved there must be underlying negligence. Under New Mexico law, involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony and is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. This charge also includes the misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a firearm, which would likely merge as a matter of law.The other charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. This charge requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death. This is also a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5000 fine. This charge includes a firearm enhancement, or added mandatory penalty, because a firearm was involved. The firearm enhancement makes the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in jail.“If any one of these three people—Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls—had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today.”TMZ, adding more details about the charges and why Baldwin is facing criminal ones, said:
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies says Alec Baldwin is being charged as both an actor and a producer on the movie … she says he pulled the trigger as the actor, and had a duty to make sure the set was safe as a producer.
The D.A. says Alec definitely pulled the trigger, despite what he says, because she trusts the FBI’s analysis … and she says one of the reasons the investigation took so long was because prosecutors were waiting to see what the FBI concluded about the gun.
