(Headline USA) New Mexico prosecutors reportedly plan to refile charges against actor Alec Baldwin after the initial charges over his fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were dropped earlier this year.
Special prosecutors dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin in April due to “new facts” in the case but made it clear at the time that prosecutors could still pursue legal action in the future.
“This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” the New Mexico legal team said.
They confirmed this week that they plan to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter again and bring the case before a grand jury in mid-November.
“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said in a statement this week.
The new charges follow a forensic report released in August that concluded Baldwin did pull the trigger of the prop gun that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has repeatedly and publicly claimed he did not pull the trigger and that the gun simply misfired, but the report found that it would have been impossible for the gun to fire without the trigger being pulled.
“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” the report said.
“This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger,” it added.
Baldwin’s lawyers responded to reports of the new charges by maintaining the actor’s innocence.
“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution,” said Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, Baldwin’s attorneys with the firm Quinn Emanuel. “We will answer any charges in court.”
