Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter

Facts

• Alec Baldwin has entered a not guilty plea to an involuntary manslaughter charge related to the 2021 'Rust' film set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, waiving his right to an arraignment that had been scheduled for Thursday.¹
• Under the terms of his no-bail release, he must adhere to multiple restrictions that include bans on possessing firearms and drinking alcohol, as well as on interacting with witnesses in the case if not for business reasons in connection with the release of the movie.²
• On Friday, the Daily Express claimed, quoting a so-called body language expert, that the Hollywood star appeared 'downcast and possibly exhausted' as he was spotted in Manhattan a day earlier.³
• This comes as a New Mexico grand jury delivered an indictment against the Rust lead actor and producer on Jan. 19, exactly one year after Santa Fe's district attorney charged him in a first case that was eventually dismissed in April.⁴
• If convicted for 'negligent use of a firearm' or for 'total disregard or indifference to the safety of others,' he could face up to a one-and-a-half-year prison term and a $5K fine.⁵
• A trial date for him hasn't been established yet. Meanwhile, the trial of the movie's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has also pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, is scheduled to start on Feb. 21.⁶

Sources: ¹One America, ²Variety, ³Express.co.uk, ⁴Slate, ⁵CNN and ⁶Breitbart.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Newsweek. Weapon professionals assured Baldwin that the pistol was unloaded, and Hutchins herself told him to point the gun toward her as she was setting the camera up for a scene. This was an incredibly rare tragedy unforeseen by anyone on the film crew, but wrongfully indicting people won't bring Hutchins back, nor will it provide any justice.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Hill. While the armorer and the assistant director who yelled 'cold gun' are responsible for this manslaughter, Baldwin also is at least partly to blame for the tragedy. It's common sense that anyone handling a firearm must check if the gun is unloaded and, under no circumstances, point it at someone and pull the trigger — unless you are willing to shoot.

Predictions