Alec Baldwin was offered a plea deal last year that would have given him no prison time in connection with the killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Variety reported that before the 65-year-old could decide whether to accept the terms, prosecutors withdrew the offer and said they would charge him.
In a filing seen by the outlet, prosecutor Kary Morrissey ‘offered a plea deal identical to the petty offense deal that Dave Halls accepted.
The filing states that the offer was made on October 5 and Baldwin was given until October 27 to decide, but prosecutors withdrew the offer on October 17.
Halls, the first assistant director at Rust, served no prison time after pleading guilty to a charge of negligent handling of a deadly weapon.
Variety reported that before the 65-year-old could decide whether to accept the terms, prosecutors withdrew the offer and said they would charge him
Baldwin will stand trial for manslaughter later this year in connection with the death of Halyna Hutchins, seen here in 2019
He was given six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service and ordered to take a firearms safety class.
Baldwin’s lawyers have accused the prosecutors in the case of a list of abuses and want the case dismissed.
Variety reported that his lawyers allege that Morrissey repeatedly leaked confidential information about the grand jury proceeding to an NBC reporter.
In November, attorneys representing the actor filed a motion for sanctions over the matter, asking to have Morrisey and her co-counsel removed from the case.
They also sought monetary penalties against Morrissey for her alleged wrongdoing.
At a Nov. 15 hearing, the judge overseeing the case admonished the parties not to disclose anything about the grand jury.
The judge also postponed the grand jury trial from November to January to allow more time to review material the defense wanted to present.
Attorney’s for Baldwin claims that within an hour of the hearing, Morrissey called the NBC reporter to relay the scheduling update
The shooting took place in October 2021 after two weeks of filming as Baldwin practiced pulling his gun from its holster
Halls, seen here, was the first assistant director at Rust and served no prison time after pleading guilty to a charge of negligent handling of a deadly weapon
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was also charged with tampering with evidence
In this photo taken from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators after the fatal shooting
NBC reported the same day that the grand jury proceedings had been postponed, citing an “unnamed source”.
The reporter then reportedly contacted Baldwin’s lawyers for comment hours after the judge made the decision.
In a filing earlier this week, Baldwin and his attorney, Alex Spiro, also argued that prosecutors rigged the jury process in the case.
They claim the grand jury process was rigged by the Santa Fe County DA’s office, claiming they added 7 witnesses who were biased.
The filing reportedly adds that three of the witnesses were on the DA’s payroll, two of them were from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office, and one was suing him in a civil case.
It is also alleged that the FBI tested the gun used at the fatal scene that killed Hutchins and that the DA failed to present all evidence from the test.
The documents claim the test showed the revolver fired without the trigger being pulled when fully loaded, just as they were on the day of the tragedy.
During Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s trial earlier this year, Agent Bryce Ziegler said he had to break the gun with a hammer to get it to fire without pulling the trigger.
Ziegler, appearing for the prosecution, said it could not have happened on the set of Rust because the gun was in working order when it came to him.
His analysis contradicts Baldwin’s claims that he only pulled the hammer back on the vintage-looking gun.
In 2022, Baldwin settled a civil suit brought against him by Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins’ widow, seen here, and father of their son
This aerial photo shows Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 23, 2021, used for the movie ‘Rust’
The jury was shown shocking images of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ bloodstained shirt
During Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, prosecutors painted a damning portrait of a movie that was in a state of “hurried chaos”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was an armorer for Rust and was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The verdict creates problems for Baldwin, as he will be tried in July in the same courthouse for involuntary manslaughter. If found guilty, he faces 18 months in prison.
During Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, prosecutors painted a damning portrait of a movie that was in a state of ‘hurried chaos.’
The night before the incident, six members of the camera crew resigned due to their safety concerns.
The jury heard that Baldwin commissioned director Souza to write the script, to which he owned the rights. Baldwin starred in the film and was also a producer.
Bowles called Gutierrez-Reed, who was just 24 at the time of the incident, a “scapegoat” for broader failures that prompted New Mexico to issue a $136,000 fine to the manufacturers for “willful and serious” safety deficiencies.
Jurors were shown a video shot during the production of Rust in which Baldwin pointed the gun at the crew and cast, including a 12-year-old boy between scenes
Jurors were told that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun as a ‘pointer’ at people and firing shots after the director said cut
Bowles told the court that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun as a ‘pointer’ at people.
In his opening statement, Bowles said Baldwin ‘violated basic gun safety’ by pointing the gun at Hutchins because he did not intend to shoot her.
He said, ‘The main thing here was urgency, get this thing so we can get the money, and it’s all on production, and Mr. Baldwin is one of the primary manufacturers. It’s on them. Miss Gutierrez-Reed had no control over it.’
The criminal case is not the only trial resulting from the shooting of Hutchins.
In 2022, Baldwin settled a civil lawsuit brought against him by Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins’ widow, and the father of their son.
Under the terms, Rust continued production at a new location in Montana, and Matthew Hutchins, who has called his wife’s death a ‘horrible accident’, is an executive producer. No date has yet been set for the film’s release.