Alec Baldwin, 66, WILL go to trial after judge denied a motion to dismiss actor’s involuntary manslaughter case following death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Rust set

Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter in the death of cameraman Halyna Hutchins will take place in July after a judge denied a motion to dismiss the case on Friday.

The 30 rock star, 66 – who was recently spotted with his one-year-old granddaughter Holland – faces up to 18 months in prison if found guilty of manslaughter.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer in New Mexico rejected the arguments of the star’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, according to Variety.

In a statement after the judge’s decision, Baldwin’s attorneys said, “We look forward to our day in court.”

Sommer listened to arguments from both Alec’s lawyers and prosecutors in court earlier this month on May 17 in Sante Fe. NBC News.

One accuser, Kari Morrissey, stated that “the actor is responsible for the firearms once he gets his hands on them.”

However, Baldwin’s attorneys argued that Morrissey had not provided key evidence to the grand jury earlier this year in January and that no defense witnesses were available.

The judge stated in her ruling, according to Variety, that Kari shared a letter from the “verbatim defense” to the grand jurors, but explained that they made the choice not to “follow up” on the letter.

“The Court is not in a position to challenge the grand jury’s decision in this regard,” Sommer said.

The judge also later added, “Although the state deferred certain questions, in many other cases grand jurors asked evidentiary questions and received full answers from witnesses.”

In October 2021, Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of Rust, while the film’s director, Joel Souza, was injured.

Alec pleaded not guilty prior to trial and has also denied pulling the trigger on the gun and denied that it was his responsibility to ensure the gun was safe.

Last month in April, Rust gun guard Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins.

Shortly afterwards, an expert warned that her sentence was “a bad sign” for the actor as his trial date approaches.

Alec had been offered a plea deal last year, meaning he would not serve any jail time in connection with Hutchins’ manslaughter.

Variety reported in March that the actor could decide whether to accept the terms. Prosecutors withdrew the offer and said they would charge him.

In a filing seen by the newspaper, prosecutor Kari Morrissey “offered a plea deal identical to the minor misdemeanor deal accepted by Dave Halls.”

The filing stated that the offer was made on October 5 and Baldwin was given until October 27 to decide, but prosecutors withdrew the offer on October 17.

Halls, Rust’s first assistant director, served no prison time after pleading guilty to a charge of negligent handling of a deadly weapon.

He was given six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service and a firearms safety course.

Baldwin’s attorneys have accused prosecutors in the case of a catalog of abuses and want the case dismissed.

Variety reported that his lawyers allege Morrissey repeatedly leaked confidential information about the grand jury proceedings to an NBC reporter.

In November, attorneys representing the actor filed a motion for sanctions on the matter, asking for Morrisey and her co-counsel to be removed from the case. They also sought to have monetary sanctions imposed against Morrissey for her alleged misconduct.

During a hearing on November 15, the judge overseeing the case warned the parties not to disclose anything about the grand jury proceedings.

The judge also postponed grand jury proceedings from November to January to allow more time to review the material the defense wanted to present.

Baldwin’s attorney claims that within an hour of the hearing, Morrissey then called the NBC reporter to provide the scheduling update.

NBC reported that same day that the grand jury proceedings had been postponed, citing an “unnamed source.”

In March, Baldwin and his attorney Alex Spiro also alleged that prosecutors manipulated the jury trial in the case.

They argued that the grand jury trial was rigged by the Santa Fe County district attorney’s office, claiming they added seven biased witnesses.

It is also alleged that the FBI tested the gun used in the fatal scene that killed Hutchins, and that the district attorney failed to present all evidence from the tests.

The documents show that tests showed the revolver fired without the trigger being pulled when it was fully loaded, just as it did on the day of the tragedy.

During Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s trial earlier this year, Officer Bryce Ziegler said he had to break the gun with a hammer to get it to fire without using the trigger.

Ziegler, appearing for the prosecution, said this could not have happened on the set of Rust because the gun was in good condition when it arrived to him.

His analysis contradicts Baldwin’s claims that he only pulled back the hammer on the vintage-looking gun.

During Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, prosecutors painted a damning portrait of a film in a state of “hurried chaos.”

The night before the incident, six members of the camera crew quit due to safety concerns.

The jury heard that Baldwin commissioned director Souza to write the script, to which he owned the rights. Baldwin was the lead actor in the film and also served as a producer.

Bowles called Gutierrez-Reed, who was just 24 at the time of the incident, a “scapegoat” for broader failings that led New Mexico’s safety regulator to fine the producers $136,000 for “intentional and serious” safety failures .

Bowles told the court that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun at people like a ‘pointing stick’.

The criminal case is not the only legal action arising from Hutchins’ shooting. In 2022, Baldwin settled a civil lawsuit filed against him by Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins’ widow, and the father of their son.

Under the terms, Rust continued production at a new location in Montana and Matthew Hutchins, who called his wife’s death a “terrible accident,” is executive producer. No date has yet been set for the film’s release.