Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be “alternatively charged” with two counts of manslaughter, meaning the jury will decide not just whether they are guilty, but according to the definition of manslaughter that they were guilty of. the district attorney’s office said earlier.
A workout of at least an hour or more was scheduled, “but the actual workout lasted only about 30 minutes as, according to (Gutierrez Reid), Baldwin was distracted and talking on his cell phone to his family during the workout.” “, the prosecutor’s office said in a document.
Prosecutors allege that Gutierrez Reed did not insist on safety training for Baldwin, did not inspect every round loaded into the firearm, and did not follow the appropriate ammunition storage safety protocols.
“Gutierrez Reed has recklessly taken on the responsibility of ensuring firearms safety. She failed to stop Baldwin from committing dangerous and reckless security breaches by pointing a weapon at or towards people and keeping his finger on the trigger,” read the probable cause statement against Gutierrez Reed.
“The photographs and video clearly show Baldwin holding his finger inside the trigger guard and on the trigger several times, manipulating the hammer, as well as pulling, guiding and holstering the revolver,” prosecutors say.
In New Mexico, manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 (£4,000) fine. The second charge is manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act, requiring proof that there was more than mere negligence, and carries a mandatory penalty of five years in prison.
If found guilty of the latter, the sentences are likely to be combined.
Baldwin denies any involvement in the death of the Ukrainian cameraman.
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe that there was a live bullet in the gun or anywhere else on the set,” Baldwin’s lawyer Luke Nikas said after the allegations were first made public, calling it a “terrible miscarriage of justice.”
