The Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office cleared the actor of gun enhancement charges. This means that even if the 64-year-old artist is found guilty of manslaughter, he will not be able to end up behind bars. Baldwin faced five years in prison for the death of cameraman Galina Hutchins on the set of Rust.
A lawyer named Baldwin has filed a motion condemning prosecutors for prosecuting the actor under a law that does not apply to him. The gun enhancement charge was originally related to his manslaughter charge, however the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office confirmed it was dropped.
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The charge involves a person using, brandishing or displaying a weapon with intent to intimidate or injure someone. At the time of filming, Baldwin was on the set of Rust. Therefore, the fee is unlikely to comply with New Mexico law. The law was amended seven months after the tragedy.
“In order to avoid further legal action for Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and Special Prosecutor removed the firearm enhancement from the manslaughter charge in the on-scene death of Galina Hutchins “rust”. The prosecution’s priority is to ensure fairness, not to provide paid hours to city attorneys,” the prosecutor said.
His statement came days after Baldwin’s lawyers disputed the allegations and cited a change in the law in their arguments.
Baldwin and Rust gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reid were charged in January with involuntary manslaughter as prosecutors said “criminal negligence of safety”. In their motion filed Feb. 10, Baldwin’s attorneys asked Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer to dismiss the enhancement violation entirely.
“Prosecutors made a major legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the Firearms Enhancement Act that did not exist at the time of the incident. This version of the statute cannot apply to actions that took place before its adoption,” Alek’s defense attorneys said. According to the Daily Mail, both the movie star and the image’s gunman have been charged.
Source: The Voice Mag
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
