The death of Halyna Hutchins was a tragedy, and the news of Alec Baldwin,64, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and David Halls being charged with involuntary manslaughter has been a long time coming. People have been calling for justice since October 2021, when the cinematographer and mother was killed on the set of “Rust”.
Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, has fiercely defended his client, insisting that Baldwin had no reason to believe there were live bullets in the gun, as he had relied on the professionals who assured him the gun was safe.
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” Nikas said. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds.”
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice,” Nikas told The Post.
“We will fight these charges, and we will win,” Nikas said.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, has also denied his client’s involvement, claiming that the charges are a “result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts.”
The tragedy occurred during a rehearsal for a church scene when Baldwin allegedly fired a prop gun loaded with a real bullet in the direction of Halyna Hutchins. An FBI forensic report has concluded that the gun could not have gone off unless someone released the trigger, and assistant director David Halls accepted a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal for his role in the accident which will most likely lead to six months of probation.
The district attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, has made a statement that “if any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple.”
