Baldwin manslaughter charges formally dropped / Photo: © AFP/File
-
Police, pro-Kurd protesters clash at Turkey border with Syria
-
Thai forces razed Cambodian homes on border: rights group
-
Jellyfish-inspired Osaka battles into Australian Open round two
-
Valentino taught us to respect women, says partner
-
Australia stiffens hate crime, gun laws after Bondi attack
-
Mercedes chief designer Owen to leave F1 team
-
Trump unloads on allies as Davos showdown looms
-
Moscow revels in Trump's Greenland plans but keeps concerns quiet
-
Global tourism hit new record level in 2025: UN
-
Senegal poised to party with parade honouring AFCON champs
-
Osaka emerges for Melbourne opener under hat, veil and parasol
-
Dogsled diplomacy in Greenland proves elusive for US
-
Almost half of Kyiv without heat, power, after Russian attack
-
EU vows 'unflinching' response to Trump's Greenland gambit
-
Osaka steals show at Australian Open as Sinner strolls through
-
Brignone impresses in first run of Kronplatz giant slalom in World Cup comeback
-
Osaka emerges for Melbourne opener under white hat and umbrella
-
Malawi suffers as US aid cuts cripple healthcare
-
Bessent says Europe dumping US debt over Greenland would 'defy logic'
-
Freeze, please! China's winter swimmers take the plunge
-
Talks between Damascus, Kurdish-led forces 'collapse': Kurdish official to AFP
-
In-form Bencic makes light work of Boulter at Australian Open
-
Spain mourns as train disaster toll rises to 41
-
Sinner into Melbourne round two as opponent retires hurt
-
Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem
-
Almost half of Kyiv without heat, power, after Russian attack: govt
-
Veteran Monfils exits to standing ovation on Australian Open farewell
-
Precision-serving former finalist Rybakina powers on in Melbourne
-
South Korea's women footballers threaten boycott over conditions
-
Equities sink, gold and silver hit records as Greenland fears mount
-
Australian lawmakers back stricter gun, hate crime laws
-
EU wants to keep Chinese suppliers out of critical infrastructure
-
AI reshaping the battle over the narrative of Maduro's US capture
-
Penguins bring forward breeding season as Antarctica warms: study
-
Vietnam leader pledges graft fight as he eyes China-style powers
-
Ukrainian makes soldier dad's 'dream come true' at Australian Open
-
'Timid' Keys makes shaky start to Australian Open title defence
-
Indiana crowned college champions to complete fairytale season
-
South Koreans go cuckoo for 'Dubai-style' cookies
-
Harris leads Pistons past Celtics in thriller; Thunder bounce back
-
Tjen first Indonesian to win at Australian Open in 28 years
-
Long-delayed decision due on Chinese mega-embassy in London
-
Djokovic jokes that he wants slice of Alcaraz's winnings
-
Trump tariff threat 'poison' for Germany's fragile recovery
-
Tourists hit record in Japan, despite plunge from China
-
Jittery Keys opens Melbourne defence as Sinner begins hat-trick quest
-
The impact of Trump's foreign aid cuts, one year on
-
Belgian court weighs trial for ex-diplomat over Lumumba killing
-
Inside China's buzzing AI scene year after DeepSeek shock
-
Asian markets sink, silver hits record as Greenland fears mount
NYSE - LSE
Baldwin manslaughter charges formally dropped
Manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin over a fatal shooting on a movie set were formally dropped by prosecutors Friday.
A New Mexico court filing said the case against Baldwin "is dismissed without prejudice," but investigations remain "active and on-going" into the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the Western "Rust" in New Mexico in 2021.
Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 handgun during rehearsals when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
He has always insisted he was told the gun was safe and that he did not pull the trigger, and had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court filing said "new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis which cannot be completed" in time for a preliminary hearing that was scheduled for May.
A Los Angeles Times report said prosecutors had received information that the gun had been modified in a manner increasing the odds it might have misfired, citing three anonymous sources.
The criminal case against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the young armorer who had been responsible for weapons on the set of the film, remains ongoing, with a court status conference scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Filming of "Rust" resumed at a new location in Montana this week, with Baldwin and Souza among those returning to complete the film.
The criminal case against Baldwin had hit multiple legal potholes in the past few months.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were each initially charged with two alternative counts of voluntary manslaughter.
But a so-called "firearm enhancement" which would have increased the jail term if they were convicted, was dropped soon afterwards, due to an alleged technical error by prosecutors.
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and the case's previous special prosecutor Andrea Reeb both stepped aside from overseeing the case against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.
In a statement Thursday, the new special prosecutors noted that the decision to drop charges "does not absolve Mr Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled."
O.Lorenz--BTB
