Alec Baldwin will face court charged with involuntary manslaughter on Thursday after accidentally shooting a camerawoman dead on a film set.
The A-list actor is scheduled to be arraigned in the First Judicial District Court in New Mexico, though he will appear virtually.
Named as Alexander Rae Baldwin in the case, the movie star was charged after a grand jury voted to indict him on January 19.
Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his ill-fated Western film Rust when a prop gun was loaded with live bullets.
Alec Baldwin (pictured in November) was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on involuntary manslaughter charges
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital
The grand jury indicted him on the grounds of negligent use of a firearm and disregard for others’ safety in the October 21, 2021, shooting.
He faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted, but previous charges, filed by New Mexico prosecutors, were dismissed in April last year.
Baldwin always maintained that he followed gun safety laws, and that the fault lies with the armorer or crew who handed him a gun loaded with a live round.
He insists he confirmed that the gun was ‘cold’, meaning not containing live ammunition, when he took it to rehearse the scene.
Gloria Allred, the lawyer for Halyna’s parents and sister, said in response to the new charges: ‘Our clients have always sought the truth about what happened on the day that Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed.
‘They continue to seek the truth in our civil lawsuit for them and they also would like there to be accountability in the criminal justice system.
‘The grand jury has decided that there is sufficient evidence to indict Alec Baldwin on the charge of involuntary manslaughter.
‘We are looking forward to the criminal trial which will determine if he should be convicted for the untimely death of Halyna.’
A distraught Alec Baldwin lingers in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s offices on Camino Justicia after being questioned
Baldwin in costume on the filming of Rust, which after a long break following the fatal shooting continued filming but does not yet have a release date
Baldwin’s lawyers Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas countered: ‘We look forward to our day in court.’
They responded to the indictment almost immediately, arguing the ongoing media interest in his case could alter a jury’s ability to be impartial.
The filings noted a speedy trial would ‘minimize public vilification and suspicion’, and may ‘avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after a lengthy delay in prosecution’.
The film set’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will stand trial in February, after she has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors charged her with failing to properly check the gun’s ammunition and for allowing live rounds onto the movie set.
Baldwin was practicing drawing the prop weapon from his holster when he claims it fired spontaneously.
He has always been adamant that he did not pull the trigger.
But a new report by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona states that the trigger ‘had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.’
Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins, along with other cast, are pictured on the Rust set
This aerial photo shows part of the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the scene of the horror shooting
Baldwin launched a media tour in the weeks after Hutchins’ death, insisting it was a tragic accident and not a killing he was responsible for.
He was initially charged in January 2023 by First Judicial District Attorney of New Mexico Mary Carmack-Altwies, who launched her own media tour soon after filing charges.
Baldwin’s team interpreted her enthusiasm for the case as a fame-hungry effort to boost her own career.
After hashing it out with his team in the court of public opinion, Carmack-Altwies stepped down from the case and a special prosecutor was appointed to take over.
That team opted to drop the charges against Baldwin, who had already settled a wrongful death lawsuit launched by Hutchins’ family.
The scandal – now back in headline with the fresh set of charges – has battered the actor’s reputation and earning power.
Baldwin appeared windswept on the beach in a real estate video earlier this month to promote the sale of his house in the Hamptons.
He is selling the property for $19 million – $10 million less than he first listed it. Many see it as a desperate cash grab to pay his growing legal bills.
Baldwin with his wife Hilaria and their seven kids in October
Baldwin may be sweating over facing charges that he thought were gone, but the top defense attorney he enlisted to fight his case has never lost in court.
Alex Spiro, a go-to for celebrities battling legal woes, has been hailed as a ‘force of nature’ and is credited for faultless jury trial track record.
A source told DailyMail.com that ‘the prosecutors in New Mexico have have no idea what they’re in for… Alex is a force of nature’.
The Miami-based lawyer is known for working with high profile names – his client list has included Jay-Z, Naomi Osaka, Elon Musk, and Megan Thee Stallion as well as NBA basketball stars and famed athletes.
Though he also takes on lesser-known cases, the Harvard law graduate has earned a reputation for getting the job done after launching his career at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as an assistant DA.