Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin is in the fight of his life.
His career is already in ruins, and he could lose his freedom too.
But Baldwin just got a Hail Mary in the trial of his life.
Alec Baldwin faces 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of western flick Rust.
Thinking the gun was unloaded, Baldwin fired the gun on the set, ultimately killing Hutchins.
Baldwin served as both lead actor and producer on the film, so he was doubly responsible for making sure he wasn’t pulling the trigger of a loaded gun.
However, Baldwin’s defense appears to be that the gun malfunctioned and went off on its own.
That’s going to be an incredibly tough sell, but Baldwin’s uphill battle might’ve gotten a little easier now that special prosecutor Andrea Reeb has recused herself from the case.
Baldwin’s attorneys argued Reeb should step down because she’d recently been elected to New Mexico’s House of Representatives as a Republican and wouldn’t be capable to hold both positions at once.
Reeb initially rejected the request, however, recently announced, “After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step down as special prosecutor in the Rust case. My priority in this case — and in every case I’ve prosecuted in my 25-year career — has been justice for the victim…However, it has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts, which clearly show a complete disregard for basic safety protocols led to the death of Halyna Hutchins…I will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand.”
Prior to Reeb stepping down, the charges against Baldwin were downgraded and he no longer faces a maximum five years in jail.
District Attorney Heather Brewer explained, “In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set.”
Unless Baldwin’s attorneys have some more legal maneuvers up their sleeves, the Hollywood star could be in store for a rough road moving forward.
According to the filing against him, “Statements and evidence show [ALEC] BALDWIN was not present for required firearms training prior to the commencement of filming. Statements, depositions from OSHA, and evidence show BALDWIN was provided only minimal training on firearms, even after [armorer and co-defendant Hannah Gutierrez-] REED requested more training for BALDWIN. In the deposition taken from REED, she stated BALDWIN had very limited training on the cross draw that was required for the scene on the 21st and limited training in firearms and how to check his firearm as to whether it was unloaded or loaded, in which REED felt was very important in his role as RUST.”
Baldwin’s lawyers will have a difficult time rebutting the evidence.