Alec Baldwin Wins Crucial Battle In ‘Rust’ Case

Alec Baldwin made headlines in 2021 after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He said that he accidentally shot and killed her while on set. He reportedly used a prop gun to kill the cinematographer. Alec and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with involuntary manslaughter in Halyna’s death. According to recent reports, Alec Baldwin has now won a critical battle in the ‘Rust’ case as the District Attorney dropped the charge of gun enhancement.

The Santa Fe County District Attorney must be feeling a bit humiliated today after dropping a crucial charge against Alec Baldwin which implies that even if convicted he might not even spend any time in prison. According to TMZ, the D.A. withdrew the gun enhancement charge in the case after Baldwin’s lawyer submitted a motion condemning prosecutors for chasing the actor under a law that did not apply to him.

As previously reported, in the death of Halyna Hutchins, Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Initially, the D.A. added a gun enhancement charge i.e. using a gun to commit a crime. The problem is that at the time of the incident, New Mexico law stated that a gun enhancement charge could only be applied if the gun was “brandished” which means it was shown to frighten or hurt someone which was clearly not the case with Baldwin.

The D.A. believed Baldwin could be charged under a recent firearm enhancement law amendment that did not require brandishing. The problem is that the statute was not passed until 7 months after the shooting, and the D.A. realized Baldwin’s point and dropped the firearms enhancement. It’s significant because if the gun enhancement charge is upheld and Baldwin is convicted he’ll face a minimum of five years in jail.

If Baldwin is convicted of involuntary manslaughter now that it’s been 86’d, he may face up to 18 months in prison, but the court might sentence him to less or maybe even probation. The D.A. also dropped the gun enhancement charge against armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Keep an eye on Thirsty for the most latest updates.

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