Prosecutors in New Mexico made headlines earlier this month when they announced plans to charge Alec Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” film set in 2021.
The announcement of impending charges against Baldwin surprised some people with criminal law experience, myself included, given the prosecution’s heavy burden in proving the case against the actor and producer beyond a reasonable doubt, at a trial in which he’d likely argue it was a tragic accident that wasn’t his job to prevent.
That’s not to say it will be impossible for the government to secure a conviction against Baldwin, partly because anything can happen in a trial, and the devastating consequences of a potential conviction can lead people to plead guilty (which is how most cases are resolved, as opposed to trials). But I’m eager to see the prosecution’s statement of probable cause that should be filed along with their formal charges today, and I’ll report back once we have more information.
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