Alec Baldwin: All criminal charges against actor over fatal shooting on Rust set are dropped
All criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Rust movie have been dropped.
Prosecutors in Santa Fe, in the US state of New Mexico, had been pressing forward with two involuntary manslaughter charges against the 65-year-old Hollywood star.
There are still at least five ongoing civil cases against Baldwin and the producers of Rust.
A statement from Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said: “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
Baldwin pictured leaving his home in New York earlier this year
However, prosecutors are continuing with involuntary manslaughter charges against weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. She has pleaded not guilty.
Ms Hutchins, 42, was shot and killed on 21 October 2021, during filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch.
Baldwin was rehearsing with a pistol for a scene when the gun went off, killing Ms Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza who was also shot.
Melina Spadone, a lawyer for Rust Movie Productions, exclusively told Sky News: “We have every confidence in the judicial system and that the cause of Halyna’s death will be thoroughly investigated.
“Alec is a consummate professional… for everyone else, it’s a good outcome in the sense that we think that justice has been served.”
It comes as Baldwin resumed filming of Rust at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana, 18 months after Halyna Hutchins was shot dead on set.
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Filming resumes on Alec Baldwin’s Rust
The production company finalised a settlement last month with New Mexico workplace safety regulars over “serious” violations and agreed to a $100,000 (£80,000) fine to resolve a scathing safety review which revealed unheeded complaints and misfires on set before Ms Hutchins was killed.
Earlier this month, Baldwin asked for a lawsuit filed by the parents and sister of Ms Hutchins to be dismissed by a judge.
The actor said Olga Solovey, Anatolii Androsovych, and Svetlana Zemko filed the suit in February to “obtain compensation”.
It alleges battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium, which is when a plaintiff seeks to recover compensation for damages to certain relationships on which they are mutually dependent.
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Alec Baldwin resumes filming Rust
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Dave Halls, the first assistant director on the set, was sentenced last month to a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors said he was responsible for set safety.
Baldwin was pointing a gun at Ms Hutchins during a rehearsal when the weapon when off.
Halyna Hutchins pictured in 2017
The actor claimed the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger.
However, an FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
The star has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and previously pleaded not guilty to the two charges of involuntary manslaughter that have now been dropped.
The actor was also sued by Ms Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, alleging that reckless behaviour and cost-cutting led to her death.
A settlement was reached outside of court in October 2022.
Three crew members are also among those to have started legal action, saying they have suffered anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder since the shooting.
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
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