David Halls, the assistant director of the movie "Rust," has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins was shot by actor Alec Baldwin using a gun that Halls had handed to him. While Halls has been sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, and 24 hours of community service, Baldwin and the movie's original armorer, Hanna Gutierrez-Reed, are both charged with manslaughter and have pleaded not guilty. The charges carry an 18-month prison sentence. Preliminary hearings for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are expected to begin in early May.
Friday's hearing was conducted under the supervision of the case's new special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis. The "Rust" proceedings have been disrupted by complications concerning the appointment of the case's previous special prosecutor. The first special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, stepped down earlier this month after Baldwin's defense lawyers filed a motion requesting her removal. Baldwin's lawyers argued that the state's Constitution prevents people from simultaneously serving as prosecutor and legislator. Reeb's decision to step down was followed by a New York Times report in which Reeb suggested that working on the case could help her political career.
On Monday, Mary Carmack-Altwies, the New Mexico district attorney who had overseen the "Rust" case, was given a directive from Judge Marlowe Sommer to either recuse herself from the case or lose her ability to appoint a new special prosecutor. On Wednesday, Carmack-Altwies recused herself and appointed Morrissey and Lewis in her place.
The "Rust" case has been widely followed by the media and the public, and the death of Halyna Hutchins has sparked a debate about gun safety on movie sets. The plea deal of David Halls has made him the first person held criminally accountable in Hutchins' death, while the charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are still pending. The upcoming hearings and trials are expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.