Alec Baldwin has entered pleas of not guilty to two charges of involuntary manslaughter. It follows the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust.
The Hollywood actor was due in court on Friday (February 24) for a first appearance hearing. This would have involved details of the charges and his rights being read out by a judge.
But Baldwin entered the pleas on Thursday, waiving his right to a first appearance in court. Two charges were brought against Baldwin by the Santa Fe District Attorney’s office last month - the first can be referred to as involuntary manslaughter and requires proof of underlying negligence.
The second charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. This requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death.
The district attorney recently dropped a firearm enhancement to the charge. Such an enhancement would have made the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in jail.
Baldwin’s lawyers argued that the enhancement was "unlawful". They also accused the district attorney of "extraordinary" media briefings against him.
Ms Hutchins died aged 42 on October 21, 2021. She was working as director of photography on the set of Rust in New Mexico.
Baldwin also faces a separate civil lawsuit, filed on February 9 by the family of Ms Hutchins. The family are suing Baldwin and the Rust movie production company for alleged battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and loss of consortium, a claim which seeks to recover compensation for damage to certain relationships that are mutually dependent.
