The prosecution has decided to drop the charges against Alec Baldwin: how long could he spend in prison

The prosecution dropped the manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin and with it the potential jail time the Hollywood star could face for the deadly 2021 shooting on the set of the movie “Rust,” according to the charging documents.

Attorney for the First Judicial District of New Mexico, Marie Carmack-Altwies accused Baldwin and the gunsmith on set last month, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on two counts of manslaughter in the death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The most serious charge carried a prison sentence of five years.

Carmack-Altwies filed amended charges for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed on Friday, eliminating an aggravating circumstance for the use of a firearm to commit a crime that reduces the potential prison sentence from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 18 months.

“In order to avoid further contentious distractions from Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and Special Counsel have removed the aggravating for use of a firearm in connection with manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins,” Heather Brewer, a spokeswoman for New Mexico’s First Judicial District Attorney, said in a statement.

“We applaud the district attorney’s decision to dismiss the unlawful use of aggravated firearms. It was the right decision, ethically and substantively,” said Jason Bowles, attorney for Gutierrez- Reed.

The “30 Rock” actor denied any responsibility in fact, what happened when a revolver he was rehearsing with fired a live bullet that killed Hutchins.

Baldwin said he cocked the gun but never pulled the trigger and it was the job of Gutierrez-Reed and other firearms professionals to make sure he was dump.

On December 7, Gutiérrez-Reed testified to the New Mexico Occupational Safety Agency (OSHA) that the episode could have been avoided if he had had more time to prep Baldwin.

Gutiérrez-Reed said Baldwin used the revolver”incorrectly”.