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Alec Baldwin, the actor and producer, has had a key firearms charge against him dropped by prosecutors in New Mexico. The development came after Baldwin's legal team filed a motion to dismiss the charge, which would have carried a minimum sentence of five years in prison had it gone ahead.
Removal of Enhancement
The charge was dropped after prosecutors sought to bring a case against Baldwin under a law passed seven months after the shooting in question. At the time of the incident, New Mexico law stated that the accessory weapon allowance could only apply if the gun was displayed with the intent to scare or harm another person, which was not the case with Baldwin.
In a statement, reported by Sky News, Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, said, "In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr Baldwin and his attorneys, the district attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set."
Reduced Sentence
As a result of the dropped charge, Baldwin now faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison, rather than the five years that would have been possible had the charge been upheld.
The actor's legal team had argued that the enhancement was unconstitutional, as it had only become law after the shooting took place in October 2021. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was working on the set of "Rust" at the time of the incident, also had a weapons possession charge against her dismissed by the court.
No comment was immediately available from Baldwin's legal team. The prosecutor's office was trying to tar the actor with a recent law amendment, which was pointed out. Seven months after the alleged shooting, the law changed.
His legal team reminded them of this. Baldwin is still facing a charge of manslaughter in relation to the death of Halyn Hutchins on the set of "Rust" in 2021. The prosecutor's office initially accused the actor of using a weapon, but the latest developments will reduce the possible sentence Baldwin could face if convicted.