Alec Baldwin wants speedy trial in ‘Rust’ shooting demise: What to know

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Alec Baldwin’s legal professionals are doubtless pushing for a speedy trial as a result of the prosecution has a “weak” case, in accordance to authorized specialists.

Baldwin was charged for a second time with involuntary manslaughter Jan. 19 in the deadly shooting of Halyna Hutchins. The cinematographer died Oct. 21, 2021, after a gun Baldwin was holding discharged on the set of the Western movie “Rust.”

By Jan. 24, legal professionals for Baldwin had demanded a speedy trial for the 65-year-old actor.

“Mr. Baldwin is entitled to a fair and speedy disposition of the charges to minimize public vilification and suspicion and to avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after lengthy delays in a prosecution,” paperwork, obtained by Fox News Digital, state.

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“When defense attorneys think the prosecution doesn’t have a good case, they insist on a speedy trial to basically jam them up and force them to push the case to trial,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani defined to Fox News Digital.

Alec Baldwins face over the set of "Rust"

Alec Baldwin’s request for a speedy trial places stress on the prosecution, a authorized skilled advised Fox News Digital. (Fox News)

“If they have a bad case as a prosecutor, then the defense will say, ‘All right, let’s go to trial,’ because they know [the prosecution is] not going to have [the] witnesses and evidence ready,” he added. “That’s probably the case here. This is a weak case for the prosecution.

“This is what [the prosecution] did the primary time round, and it was clear [they were] not prepared to go to a preliminary listening to, and that is why they dismissed the case in April.”

Alec Baldwin and Dave Halls

“Rust” assistant director Dave Halls pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in March. (Instagram  |  AP Photo/Jae C. Hong  |  IMDB)

For Rahmani, the “Rust” assistant director’s lack of punishment and Hutchins’ widower settling a civil lawsuit against Baldwin make the prosecution’s case “weak.”

In March 2023, Dave Halls was given a no-time misdemeanor after pleading guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. Rahmani noted Halls is “arguably as culpable, if no more culpable, than Baldwin” in Hutchins’ death because the assistant director “represented that it was a chilly gun, and he clearly did not test it.”

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Alec Baldwin at premiere in October 2021

Alec Baldwin was charged with new counts of involuntary manslaughter Jan. 19. (Mark Sagliocco)

The demand for a speedy trial also puts pressure on the prosecution.

“Baldwin’s assertion of his proper to a speedy trial places stress on the prosecution to put together their case towards Baldwin shortly,” Kate Mangels, partner at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP, told Fox News Digital. “This might put further stress on their sources, notably as a result of the trial of the armorer is scheduled to go ahead in February.”

Celebrity defense attorney Duncan Levin, who previously worked on Harvey Weinstein’s team, explained that Baldwin’s lawyers are likely trying to “seize upon the present public notion that this case is being introduced unfairly towards him.

“The sentiment is that the case is meritless and should be dismissed. The passage of more time could affect that, and this puts more immediate pressure on the prosecution to get ready for trial more quickly than they might like.”

However, a speedy trial might not be a profit for Baldwin, legal protection legal professional Robert J. Degroot advised Fox News Digital.

“A speedy trial may not be in Mr. Baldwin’s best interests,” Degroot mentioned. “There is currently a trial scheduled for another defendant who was the ‘armorer’ on the location. What explanation she may have for the presence of live rounds, creating a ‘hot gun’ situation, would have an immediate impact and collateral effect on Mr. Baldwin’s case.

“Having that trial and seeing what implications the proof would have on Mr. Baldwin’s place, each factually and legally, is of tantamount significance. Mr. Baldwin’s workforce would have a free preview of the state’s case and will then plan accordingly.”

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“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s involuntary manslaughter trial is scheduled to begin in February. Baldwin has not been included on any witness list the prosecution has submitted at this point.

Degroot noted Baldwin’s case “has misplaced its immediacy and cheap makes an attempt to analyze the proof and have specialists check the gun are rather more necessary than a speedy trial for Mr. Baldwin. 

“I don’t think a speedy trial benefits anyone at this point,” he defined. “The dust will settle significantly with the verdict in the first trial. There are also questions about the main piece of physical evidence, the firearm, which has been given to the FBI and may be altered from its original state by the replacement of certain parts and components. It may be impossible to test the gun forensically in the condition it was in at the time of the tragic shooting.”

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Baldwin was initially charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter Jan. 31, 2023, and the fees have been later dropped in April.

At the time, the prosecution claimed “new facts” had been revealed that require additional investigation. In their movement to dismiss, the particular prosecutors famous the inquiry and forensic evaluation required couldn’t be accomplished earlier than the beginning of Baldwin’s scheduled preliminary listening to.

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WATCH: ALEC BALDWIN INDICTED ON TWO COUNTS OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER FROM ‘RUST’ SET

Baldwin has maintained he didn’t pull the set off of the gun Oct. 21, 2021.

“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin advised George Stephanopoulos in an interview shortly after the deadly shooting. 

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“No, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never.”

However, the FBI carried out an accidental-discharge check and decided the gun used in the deadly shooting of Hutchins “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” ABC News reported.

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