Halyna Hitchins’ widower set to testify against Alec Baldwin
The widower of Halyna Hutchins — the cinematographer accidentally shot dead by Alec Baldwin — may be called to testify against the star in the actor’s trial for manslaughter, court documents show.
Matthew Hutchins, 38, on Thursday was added to an updated list of witnesses testifying against Baldwin, 64, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, before their initial court hearing, which is scheduled for Friday.
The widower had signaled as much in a statement when the involuntary manslaughter charges were formally filed late last month.
“We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law,” he said in a statement at the time.
In addition to Hutchins, the updated witness list includes Dave Halls, the assistant director who denies telling Baldwin that he had a safe “cold gun” before the fatal rehearsal on the New Mexico set of “Rust.”
Halls’ attorney, Lisa Torraco, previously confirmed that the key crew member would testify against the star as part of a plea deal.
“He’s not out to get anyone — he’s going to testify to the truth,” Torraco told NBC News.
The updated list of witnesses is comprised of numerous crew members from the doomed “Rust” production — including director Joel Souza, who was also injured in the shooting.
Soon after the deadly October 2021 shooting, Baldwin was seen comforting the widower and his then-9-year-old son, Andros.
But Hutchins later ripped Baldwin over his “absurd” claim in a TV interview that he had not pulled the trigger and held no responsibility.
“Watching him, I just felt so angry, just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her,” Hutchins said soon after Baldwin’s interview.
Hutchins later settled his wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and the film’s producers, agreeing to be an executive producer on “Rust” when it resumes filming.
Sources told Deadline that Hutchins remains an active part of the production, which is expected to resume filming in the spring.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, previously called the charges “a terrible miscarriage of justice.”
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” Nikas said. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, has slammed the charges as a “result of a very flawed investigation, and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts.”
Baldwin also faces a slew of lawsuits over the deadly accident, including from members of the late cinematographer’s family in Ukraine.