Same load, and same response. Prosecuted for manslaughter, Alec Baldwin formally pleaded not guilty on Wednesday before the American courts, more than two years after the fatal shooting which cost the life of Halyna Hutchins, director of photography of his western, Rust.
The charges were dropped last year, but the actor was charged again in mid-January, after a new expertise was carried out on the pistol from which the fatal shot was fired.
The 65-year-old actor was expected in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing, but his defense waived his right to appear and sent a document saying he is pleading not guilty. The actor, who faces up to 18 months in prison, denies pulling the trigger and has always maintained that he was assured that his weapon was harmless.
The film’s gunsmith judged in February
At the time, the actor’s lawyers had cast doubt on the expertise of the Colt.45. Two experts have since reconstructed the weapon, which was damaged during FBI testing. And according to Variety magazine, they concluded that it was impossible for a bullet to have been fired without Alec Baldwin pulling the trigger.
The film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also charged with manslaughter in the case and her trial is scheduled to begin February 21. During the initial investigation, the police concluded that it was she who had put the ammunition in the weapon used by Alec Baldwin, instead of a dummy bullet.
The investigation never determined how live ammunition could have ended up on set, where only blank bullets are allowed.