Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case has been dismissed. Here are the most important things you should know

In a surprising ruling, a judge ended the prosecution against Alec Baldwin, nearly three years after camerawoman Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the set of the film “Rust” in New Mexico.

The verdict, which came on the fourth day of the trial, was a surprise end to a case that had already been dismissed once. The judge’s ruling prevents Baldwin from being tried again.

What charges were brought against Alec Baldwin?

Baldwin was charged with manslaughter and faced up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

Baldwin, the western’s star and co-producer, was pointing a revolver at Hutchins during a rehearsal in a small church on the film’s Bonanza Creek Ranch set in October 2021 when the shot went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer – but not the trigger – and the gun went off.

It was never officially determined who brought the live ammunition that killed Hutchins to the set. Prosecutors in the previous trial of “Rust” gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed said she was responsible. She was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to the same 18-month prison term that Baldwin faced.

What was before the jurors

The prosecution had two alternative standards of proof for the charge. One is based on the negligent use of a firearm. The other is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin acted with complete disregard or indifference for the safety of others.

Despite the legal and technical complexity of the case, the twelve citizens of Santa Fe County only had to reach a verdict – guilty or not guilty – on a single count.

How long would the trial against Alec Baldwin likely last?

The trial at the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico – about 20 miles northeast of the film set and shooting location – was scheduled to last nine days and ended on the fourth day.

Why is Alec Baldwin famous?

Baldwin, 66, became a major movie star in the late 1980s and early 1990s through films such as “Beetlejuice” and “The Hunt for Red October” and has been a household name ever since, playing memorable supporting roles in films such as 2003’s “The Cooler,” for which he received an Oscar nomination. Comedy dominated his later career, and he won two Emmys for his role as network executive Jack Donaghy on six seasons of “30 Rock” and a third for his role as Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”

He also played the role of an outsized public figure, a valued talk show guest, a sought-after liberal and, at times, a man who could not control his outbursts of anger, which caused him public embarrassment and led to a previous brush with the law that was far less threatening than the current one.

Baldwin is the eldest of six children – five of whom are actors – from Massapequa, New York, and has spent most of his adult life in New York City. He has one adult daughter, Ireland Baldwin, with his first wife, Kim Basinger, and seven young children with his second wife, Hilaria Baldwin.

Where the shooting took place in “Rust”

Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, an arts mecca of 89,000 residents and a tourist destination for its historic southwestern beauty, is no small town. And the modern downtown judicial complex is anything but a county courthouse. But the location is still a far cry from the coastal municipal courts where the trials of celebrities Bill Cosby, OJ Simpson, Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump took place.

The trial could create unusual scenes. Dozens of national media representatives will vie for seats in the Santa Fe courtroom and another courtroom, and cameras will be posted around the courthouse to track the arrivals and departures of the defendants.

And the public can watch. The trial will be streamed and broadcast by several channels, including Court TV.

Who was Halyna Hutchins?

Hutchins, who was 42 when she died, was an aspiring cinematographer and mother of a young son when she was killed. She grew up on a remote Soviet military base and worked on documentaries in Eastern Europe before studying film in Los Angeles and launching a promising career as a filmmaker.

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