Alec Baldwin is set to stand trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 killing of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a New Mexico judge denied the actor’s bid to dismiss the case Friday.
Baldwin, who has pleaded not guilty, is set to go to trial in July.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, attorneys for Alec Baldwin, said in a statement Friday.
Judge Mary Marlowe’s decision comes after she heardoral arguments from Baldwin lawyers and prosecutors in a Santa Fe court on May 17.
During that hearing, special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey said, referring to Baldwin, that “the actor has responsibility for the firearms once it is in their hands.”
But Baldwin’s attorneys argued that the case should be tossed because Morrissey failed to present critical evidence during a grand jury proceeding in January that resulted in Baldwin’s indictment on the manslaughter charge.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum prison sentence of 18 months upon conviction.
Hutchins was killed Oct. 21, 2021, as Baldwin rehearsed a scene on the “Rust” set.
Baldwin has said that Hutchins told him to aim the gun at her while he practiced a cross-draw maneuver. As he made that move, he