After the fatal shooting on the set of a western, the charges against Alec Baldwin will be dropped – Liberation

2023-04-21 07:55:01

“New facts” led the magistrates who took over the case to drop the charges in their current form. But they are relaunching a “further investigation” and asking for a new forensic analysis.

Lawsuits against American actor Alec Baldwin, accused of manslaughter after a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust in 2021, will be discontinued, due to “new facts” which deserve further investigation. But the actor is not out of the woods, warned the new prosecutors in charge of the case.

On October 21, 2021, the shooting of the film Rust on a ranch in New Mexico had turned tragic when Mr. Baldwin had pointed a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but whose very real projectile had killed the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured the director Joel Souza.

This rare news item had shocked Hollywood and provoked calls to ban firearms on the sets. The actor was scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on May 3. But two weeks before the deadline, the new prosecutors in charge of the case announced the abandonment of the current charges against him, while reserving the right to initiate new ones.

“Over the past few days, […] new facts have come to light that require further investigation and forensic analysis,” explained in a press release Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, the two magistrates who have taken over the case since March.

These new elements justify the dropping of the current charges. But “this decision does not exonerate Mr. Baldwin of all criminal guilt and proceedings may be instituted again”these New Mexico prosecutors said.

The actor’s defense hailed this major twist. “We welcome the decision to close the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident”lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement sent to AFP.

Alec Baldwin, known in particular for his role in the series 30 Rock, has always claimed his innocence and had pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter brought against him. According to the actor, he had been assured that his weapon was harmless. He also denies pulling the trigger, a claim doubted by many experts.