A month before Hollywood star Alex Baldwin’s murder trial begins, he and his wife Hilaria Baldwin announced their family will showcase insights into their lives in a new reality show set to air on TLC in 2025.
For now, the series is titled “The Baldwins” and will explore the inner lives of the Baldwin couple and their seven children. However, while the American actors are hoping to regain control of the narrative surrounding their lives, another serious issue is surfacing.
Baldwin, 66, is facing criminal charges stemming from a fatal shooting on the set of ‘Rust’ in 2021 that took the life of cinematographer Helena Hutchins. Although the Western film was a passion project for the actor, the fatal tragedy that occurred during its production resulted in Baldwin being indicted by a grand jury. Now facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin still maintains his stance as innocent.
Here’s a coherent timeline of the events leading up to the ‘Rust’ cinematographer’s tragic death, and what connection Baldwin has to the case.
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What happened after the deadly shooting on the set of ‘Rust’?
While shooting on the New Mexico set of ‘Rust’ in 2021, Halyna Hutchins was killed when a live round fired from a gun in Baldwin’s hand. The Hollywood actor denied intentionally pulling the trigger and pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. While he is expected to go on trial this July, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for the weapons, was sent to jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
In October 2021, Baldwin, who is also said to be a co-producer of the film, was said to be “fully cooperating with the police investigation.” In addition to Hutchins’ injuries at the time, which led to his death, director Joel Souza was also injured when Baldwin fired live rounds from a prop gun during rehearsals.
Later that year, Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that he “did not pull the trigger.” “Somebody put a live bullet in the gun. I know it wasn’t me.” Meanwhile, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers claimed she didn’t know “where the live bullets came from.”
Lawsuits and charges against Alex Baldwin after deadly ‘Rust’ shooting
In a lawsuit in November 2021, script supervisor Mamie Mitchell alleged that the film’s script did not state that Baldwin should have a gun at the time of the shooting. His legal representative accused the ‘Rust’ lead actor of “playing Russian roulette” with the gun when he fired without checking it.
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Following this, a lawsuit was filed by Hutchins’ family in February 2022. It also named assistant director Dave Halls, armorer Gutierrez-Reed, and prop master Sarah Zachary. The deceased cinematographer’s family accused the star of “negligent homicide by shooting” in 2021.
Later that year, Baldwin reached a settlement with them, in which all parties acknowledged that Hutchins’ death was an accident. However, this agreement had no effect on the ongoing investigation.
In January 2023, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed would be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, meaning they would face 18 months in prison if convicted.
Despite Baldwin’s refusal to admit responsibility for the shooting, the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office accused him of “multiple instances of extremely reckless acts.” A special investigator for the District Attorney’s Office said Baldwin was “distracted” talking to his family while he should have been focused on his gun training.
After previously settling with Hutchins’ husband, her parents and sister filed a new civil suit against the actor and the film’s producers in February 2023. The case alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
Still facing an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin’s firearm enhancement charges were eventually dropped. This reduced his potential prison term. Prosecutors did the same in Gutierrez-Reed’s case, CBS News reported.
In an online plea in February, the actor pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Subsequently, in April 2023, “new facts” emerged in the investigation, and criminal charges against Baldwin were dropped. However, the follow-up investigation remained active.
As troubles mounted for Gutierrez, the weapons supervisor pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in August 2023. Meanwhile, prosecutors accused him of drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana during filming.
In a new report dated August 2023, a weapons expert examined Baldwin’s memory, claiming the trigger “must have been pulled.” Although involuntary manslaughter charges against him were dropped in early April, prosecutors “did not exonerate Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability.”
With the arrival of the new year, a grand jury in New Mexico indicted Baldwin on a new count of involuntary manslaughter to be tried in January 2024. Local prosecutors cited “additional facts” from forensic tests on the weapon. Once again, Baldwin responded by pleading not guilty, sticking to his stance of not pulling the trigger of the Colt .45 pistol and only cocking its hammer.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed prosecuted
Gutierrez-Reed finally went on trial in February 2024. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but not evidence tampering. Prosecutors blamed her for not properly checking the weapon and making sure it was loaded with only fake bullets. She received the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.
Baldwin’s trial is set for July 10 after a New Mexico judge rejected his request to dismiss the case. The case mainly questions his careless handling of the firearm, which he was only required to take out of the holster. Prosecutors accuse him of endangering others on set by skipping initial firearms training, ignoring industry norms about gun safety and hiring an inexperienced armorer to meet the daily production goals of the low-budget project. If convicted, he could face up to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter.
