The DA of New Mexico’s First Judicial District, Mary Carmack-Altwies, announced that criminal charges against Alec Baldwin would be brought on Thursday morning, over a year after Hutchins’ tragic death. According to the statement she released to the public, Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act.
Those charges could carry real penalties and problems for him. If he is convicted on the involuntary manslaughter charge, then he could be facing up to 18 months in jail. But, if the firearm enhancement is included, then that could be increased to five years, meaning Baldwin would potentially be rotting behind bars for half a decade.
Los Angeles entertainment attorney Tre Lovell, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said that he doesn’t think Bladwin’s career will be affected much in the eyes of the public. In his words:
“When this case is completed, I don’t necessarily think Baldwin’s career will be harmed to any significant degree. People realize this was an accident. Nobody thinks he wanted to kill the cinematographer or injure the director. It was a horrible accident, and he wasn’t malicious, so I don’t think people will stop watching his movies or TV shows.”
However, a brand consultant named Eric Schiffer had a different opinion on the matter. According to him, Hollywood might start avoiding him because of the charges, saying that “he’s become a dirty bomb in Hollywood” and will be put on a “blacklist,” saying:
“This further, I think, creates this pariah-like status for him. And you know, many won’t touch him in Hollywood. I mean, he’s become a dirty bomb in Hollywood and will enter a rarely disclosed blacklist for the time being until this gets resolved.
“If Baldwin was my client, I would tell him to keep his mouth shut and to contain himself as best he can and to allow the process of the justice system to move forward, of which he’ll likely delay.”
"*" indicates required fields
Baldwin’s attorney, for his part, lost it in a statement released shortly after the DA announced charges, saying:
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
The family of the killed cinematographer, on the other hand, thanked the sheriff’s office and the DA after the charges were announced, saying:
“We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life.
“Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.“