Hurriyet.com.tr/International News
Created on: July 13, 2024 11:42
TwitterLinkedinFlipboardEmailCopy LinkFont
Hollywood star Alec Baldwin shot a cinematographer on set while filming the movie “Lust” in 2021, when a gun used in the film accidentally fired, killing Halina Hutchins (42).
Following this tragic accident, a number of lawsuits were filed for various reasons, with proceedings that had been ongoing since 2021 being completed yesterday.
In a previous case, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a weapons controller on set, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the accidental murder of cinematographer Halina Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Lust.”
Alec Baldwin is on trial in New Mexico, where the incident occurred, for manslaughter.
The case ended dramatically when a judge dismissed the case against the actor, finding that state officials had improperly preserved evidence about how live bullets landed on the film set where cinematographer Halina Hutchins was shot and killed.
The only person convicted and jailed during the trial, which lasted nearly three years, was the set’s weapons manager, Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
He was acquitted of manslaughter
Days after the trial began, the judge in the case, Mary Marlowe Sommer, ruled in favor of the defense, ruling that the charges against Baldwin should be dropped, finding that the state had suppressed evidence that could have been favorable to the actor.
The decision ends the manslaughter case against Baldwin.
Halina Hutchins’ family, especially her sister, worked hard to ensure that Alec Baldwin, along with others responsible for the incident, were punished.
“The state’s deliberate withholding of information was deliberate and premeditated,” Sommer said, adding that there was “no way for the court to right this wrong.”
As the judge announced the sentence, Baldwin, 66, whose case has been ongoing for nearly three years, was seen crying and embracing his lawyer and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.
Baldwin quickly left the courtroom without making a statement to the media.
Alec Baldwin was photographed this way while calling security forces to the scene after unintentionally shooting and killing cinematographer Halina Hutchins, and these images made headlines for months.
How did this accident happen?
In the incident that took place in New Mexico on October 22, 2021, 42-year-old cinematographer Halina Hutchins, who was shot in the chest by a live bullet from a gun held by actor Baldwin, was transported to the hospital by helicopter.
However, he was not saved and died. Baldwin said the gun accidentally discharged and he did not pull the trigger.
Baldwin also argued that he was not responsible for Hutchins’ death because he did not know the gun contained live ammunition and that live ammunition should not have been present at the shooting scene.
After the verdict was announced, Alec Baldwin broke down in tears and hugged his lawyer and wife, Hilaria Baldwin.
But New Mexico prosecutors said in October that new findings had come to light after the FBI asked forensic experts to reassemble a gun that had been disassembled during testing.
Following the decision, Baldwin’s family, without revealing their names, said they “look forward to seeing those responsible for Halina’s death brought to justice.”
