Alec Baldwin was offered a plea deal last year that would see him serve no prison time in connection with the slaying of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Variety reported that before the 65-year-old 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 Kary Morrissey “offered a plea deal identical to the minor misdemeanor deal accepted by Dave Halls.”
The filing states 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.
Variety reported that before the 65-year-old could decide whether to accept the terms, prosecutors withdrew the offer and said they would charge him.
Baldwin will stand trial later this year for manslaughter in connection with the death of Halyna Hutchins, seen here in 2019
He was given six months’ 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
The shooting took place in October 2021, after two weeks of filming, while Baldwin was practicing unholstering his gun.
Halls, seen here, was Rust’s first assistant director and has served no prison time after pleading guilty to a charge of negligent handling of a deadly weapon
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was also charged with tampering with evidence
In this image, taken from a video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators after the fatal shooting
NBC reported that same day that the grand jury proceedings had been postponed, citing an “unnamed source.”
The reporter then reportedly contacted Baldwin’s attorneys for comment hours after the judge handed down the ruling.
In a filing earlier this week, Baldwin and his attorney Alex Spiro also alleged that prosecutors manipulated the jury trial in the case.
They allege the grand jury process was manipulated by the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s office, claiming they added seven witnesses who were biased.
The filing reportedly adds that three of the witnesses were on the district attorney’s payroll, two of them were from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and one sued him in a civil case.
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.
In 2022, Baldwin settled a civil lawsuit filed against him by Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins’ widow, seen here, and the father of their son.
This aerial view shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 23, 2021, used in the film ‘Rust’
The jury was shown shocking images of cameraman Halyna Hutchins’ blood-stained shirt
At Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, prosecutors painted a damning portrait of a film in a state of ‘hurried chaos’
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was Rust’s gunsmith and was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of cameraman Halyna Hutchins.
The verdict poses problems for Baldwin when he goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the same courthouse in July. If found guilty, he faces 18 months in prison.
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 “deliberate and serious” safety failures .
Jurors were shown a video during the production of Rust of Baldwin pointing the gun at crew and cast members, including a 12-year-old boy, between scenes.
Jurors were told that Baldwin himself had made the set unsafe by waving his gun at people like a “pointing stick” and firing bullets after the director said a cut had been made.
Bowles told the court that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun at people like a ‘pointing stick’.
In his opening statement, Bowles said Baldwin “violated basic gun safety” by pointing the gun at Hutchins because he did not intend to shoot her.
He said, “The main thing here was hurry, get this thing so we can get the money and that’s all for production and Mr. Baldwin is one of the main producers. That’s up to them. Miss Gutierrez-Reed had no control over that.”
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.