- author, Sam Cabral
- role, BBC News
A US judge has denied Alec Baldwin’s motion to dismiss a manslaughter charge over a deadly 2021 shooting on a film set.
Halina Hutchins, 42, was shot with the same gun Baldwin was using during a rehearsal on the set of the Western “Lust,” which is being filmed in New Mexico.
Manager Joel Souza was also injured in the incident.
Baldwin’s trial is scheduled for July.
Baldwin claims he did not pull the trigger, but simply cocked the gun.
He also claims he is not responsible for Hutchins’ death because he did not know the weapon contained live ammunition and there was no way live ammunition should have been on the set.
In April, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was handling a weapon at the shooting scene, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. She appealed the sentence last week.
Baldwin, 66, was indicted in January by a grand jury on a new charge of manslaughter after prosecutors said they had new forensic evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.
Similar charges against the Emmy Award-winning actor were dropped last year, just two weeks before his criminal trial was due to begin.
Baldwin’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case earlier this month, arguing that prosecutors engaged in “unethical and smear campaigns” and “violated virtually every rule” in securing a grand jury indictment against the actor.
During a virtual hearing on May 17, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas presented their arguments before Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of the District Court for the District of New Mexico.
“This is a case involving an accident that crosses the limits of the criminal law,” Spiro said.
He noted that the charges had already been dropped before the state’s special prosecutors reinstated them in an attempt to “humiliate” Baldwin.
In a ruling Friday night, Judge Sommer denied the request, rejecting arguments that the grand jury proceedings had prejudicial influence against the actor.
In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyers said they “look forward to their day in court.”
