Alec Baldwin’s request to dismiss ‘Rust’ manslaughter case denied by judge

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin during rehearsal on the set of his Western film in Mexico. (Image via X)

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin will be facing a trial in July over manslaughter charges for an accidental shooting death of the cinematographer of his film ‘Rust’ in 2021.

Santa Fe judge Mary Sommer denied Baldwin’s plea to dismiss the case on Friday. The judge stressed that the prosecutors and the grand jury were not biased against the actor.

The order stated, “The court does not find prosecutorial bad faith.”

Baldwin has been accused of negligently firing a gun in a scene where he was instructed to just pull it out of the holster. He has also been accused of ignoring the safety measures surrounding gun usage on sets.

Prosecutors stated that Baldwin put himself and others in danger by missing the safety training of firearms and hiring an inexperienced armorer.

If the court rules in the favour of the prosecution, Baldwin will face 18 months in prison.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin during rehearsal on the set of his Western film in Mexico.

The director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident.

Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger. He also stated that he is not responsible for Hutchins’ death since he did not know that the gun had real bullets and because no real ammunition is allowed on set.

The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in April. She appealed this conviction last week.

Baldwin’s attorneys tried to dismiss the case earlier this month but failed to. They accused the prosecutors of "unethical disparagement" and of "violating nearly every rule in the book" to secure a grand jury indictment against the actor.

The lawyers for Baldwin released a statement saying, "We look forward to our day in court.”