A New Mexico judge denied Alec Baldwin ‘s motion to throw out his manslaughter indictment on Friday, keeping the case on schedule for trial in July. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer rejected each of Baldwin’s lawyers’ arguments for dismissal, finding that the grand jury process was not prejudiced against the actor. Baldwin is facing up to 18 months in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of “ Rust ” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
He is accused of negligently pointing his gun at Hutchins and pulling the trigger while preparing to film a scene, and has also been faulted for contributing to lax safety standards on set. Baldwin’s lawyers sought to throw out the indictment, arguing that prosecutor Kari Morrissey steered the grand jury away from exculpatory information, and failed to make defense witnesses available. Baldwin has denied that he pulled the trigger, and has also denied that it was his responsibility to make sure the gun was safe.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, is already serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March. Prosecutors argued that she was sloppy and unprofessional, and that she failed to make sure that no live rounds made their way to set. Baldwin’s lawyers have filed two additional motions to throw out the case.
In the first, they argue that the FBI broke the gun used in the scene, thereby denying the defense a fair chance to show that it was not working at the t.
