Back in August, new evidence came to light that disputed Alec Baldwin‘s assertion that he did not pull the trigger in the deadly Rust shooting that that took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. New Mexico prosecutors had previously dropped the involuntary manslaughter charges, but with the right to refile those charges as forensic experts continued their investigation. That process just took a significant step forward.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a grand jury is being convened to decide whether to recharge Baldwin:
In a statement, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said that “additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza.” They added, “We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”
In a statement to NBC News, Baldwin’s lawyers said they are prepared to contest the involuntary manslaughter charge if it’s refiled.
“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution,” Baldwin’s attorneys said in a statement. “We will answer any charges in court.”
The crux of the issue is that prosecutors could not determine if the gun that Baldwin used was modified, which could have resulted in the weapon firing improperly. However, forensic experts are now confident the gun was not modified and “found new evidence that they believe connects Baldwin to recklessness around safety standards on the set.”
NBC News also reports that recent discussions of a plea deal have also taken place.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News)