New Mexico prosecutors charged actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter, accusing the actor of skipping 'required firearms training' and creating 'a climate of recklessness' on the set of 'Rust.' (via Deadline: Legal Blog)
as complicit in a series of reckless acts leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust.” The narrative is compelling in its own right, as I’d expect one side’s story would be in an adversarial process.
That doesn’t answer the question, though, of how this case will end. No doubt we’ll want to see how the defense responds, though it has no obligation to do so; it’s up to the prosecution to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. But as the case progresses, one thing I’ll be interested in is whether we are headed for a “battle of the experts” over film set standards.
In both of the probable cause statements, the state says the defendants’ “deviation from known standards, practice and protocol directly caused” Hutchins’ death. So that could be an issue on which the defense puts forth a contrary expert, creating competing standards for a jury to sort out, which can create reasonable doubt. That is, if this goes to trial, and we’re a long way away from that possibility.
Another takeaway is that Baldwin hasn’t done himself any favors by talking to the police or the media. The probable cause statement against Baldwin accuses him of offering “very inconsistent accounts” of what happened during his “many media interviews and law enforcement interviews.” That’s not what any defense lawyer wants to hear. For example, the statement notes that Baldwin told deputies he “fired” the gun, though he later said the gun had just “gone off.
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