Alec Baldwin requests a speedy trial following involuntary manslaughter indictment
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on January 25, 2024
Nearly a week after a grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of Rust, the actor is demanding a speedy trial.
Attorney’s for Baldwin, in a court filing obtained by ABC News, insist a speedy trial would “minimize public vilification and suspicion and to avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after lengthy delays in prosecution.”
Baldwin, 65, is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for negligent use of a firearm and without due caution or circumspection. The names of the witnesses on whose testimony this indictment is based are Alexandria Hancock, Bryan Carpenter — an armorer who did not work on Rust — Lane Luper, Ross Addegio, Michael Haag, Marissa Poppell and Connor Rice.
Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez, who was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, faces an additional charge of tampering with evidence, with state prosecutors claiming she handed off a small bag of cocaine following her interview with police the day of the shooting.
Jury selection in her trial is scheduled to begin on February 21 in Santa Fe County. The trial is expected to start on February 22 and last two weeks.
Gun enhancement charges initially filed in the case against Gutierrez and Baldwin were ultimately dropped last year.
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