Alex Baldwin | Photo credit: AP
A New Mexico judge has denied Alex Baldwin’s request to dismiss the only criminal charge against him in the fatal shooting on the set of ‘The Secret Service.’ WarDue to which the hearing of this case can take place this summer.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommers on Friday upheld the indictment charging Baldwin with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins. The judge rejected the defense’s argument that prosecutors flouted the rules of grand jury proceedings to divert attention from exculpatory evidence and witnesses.
Special prosecutors have denied the allegations and said Baldwin made a “brazen” effort to avoid blame, and highlighted contradictions in his statements to law enforcement, workplace safety regulators and in a television interview.
Friday’s ruling clears the last remaining hurdle for prosecutors to try Baldwin in July.
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During rehearsals on the set of a Western film, Baldwin pointed a gun at Hutchins, and the revolver went off, killing him and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled the gun’s hammer but did not pull the trigger.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 1.5 years in prison.
