Opening statements will get underway today in Alec Baldwin’s high-profile trial over the fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust.
It’s been almost three years since a rehearsal of a shooting scene in the western film ended tragically, when a prop gun Baldwin was holding went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin, 66, has insisted that he didn’t pull the trigger on the firearm and didn’t know it contained a live round, claiming it fired accidentally.
He is charged with a single felony count of involuntary manslaughter over the October 2021 incident and faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
On Tuesday, a jury of 12 people was seated to decide the Hollywood actor’s fate.
Baldwin arrived at the Sante Fe courthouse flanked by his wife Hilaria – who brought the couple’s baby along – and brother Stephen.
The high-profile trial comes three months after the movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in April and sentenced to the maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.
Prosecutor says Baldwin asked to be given the ‘biggest gun’
Prosecutor Johnson said Baldwin asked to be given the “biggest gun” available for the movie.
She told the jury during her opening that they would hear evidence that firearm was sold to the “Rust” set in “perfect” working order.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 16:31
Attorney Gloria Allred speak out ahead of court
Gloria Allred, attorney for Halyna Hutchins’ parents and sister, speaks out ahead of court.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 16:25
Prosecution begins opening
Special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson has started her opening statement.
“When someone plays make believe, with a real gun.
And that person disregards the Cardinal rule of gun safety… People die.”
Johnson says the budget on “Rust” was tight and crew was inexperienced.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 16:22
Stephen Baldwin sits behind brother Alec Baldwin in court
Stephen Baldwin, the actor brother of Alec Baldwin, sits behind him in court on Wednesday.
Opening statements are expected to start shortly.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 15:52
Day 2 of Alec Baldwin’s trial is starting now
Court has resumed for a second day in Alec Baldwin’s trial in Santa Fe. A jury was selected on Tuesday.
Baldwin is in court and opening statements will begin shortly.
The proceedings can be livestreamed here:
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 15:49
Prosecutors say they’ll present evidence that Baldwin went ‘off script’
Prosecutors say they’ll present evidence that Baldwin went “off script” and failed to follow basic industry standards for firearms safety when he pointed the firearm at Hutchins on October 21, 2021.
“At the end of the day, the prosecutor’s main theory is that this was a gun involved, and Baldwin had a gun in his hand, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a film set or hunting safety class, you’re responsible for what comes out of the end of the barrel,” said John Day, a Santa Fe-based defense attorney and former prosecutor.
Testimony at trial will delve into shortcomings in a final safety check of the gun before Baldwin began rehearsing with it, as well as the mechanics of the weapon and whether it could have fired without a trigger pull. The live bullet that killed Hutchins also wounded director Joel Souza.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 15:45
Who is the jury in the Alec Baldwin trial?
Prosecutors and defense attorneys selected 16 jurors — 11 women and five men — on Tuesday, seating a jury from a region with strong currents of gun ownership and safety informed by backcountry hunting.
Four of the jurors will be deemed alternates while the other 12 deliberate once they get the case.
The shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a 42-year-old rising star in her craft, nearly three years ago sent shock waves through the film industry and led to one felony charge against Baldwin that could result in up to 18 months in prison.
Baldwin attorney Alex Spiro probed prospective jurors on Tuesday for strong opinions about gun safety and asked whether a person must entirely take responsibility for whether a gun is loaded or may “rely on experts, does anybody have a problem with that?”
Most who answered said they always treat a gun as if it were loaded.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 15:29
Opening statements expected to begin today
Opening statements in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial are expected to begin today.
A jury was selected on Tuesday. The Hollywood actor arrived at the Santa Fe courthouse Tuesday morning with his wife Hilaria and their youngest child.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the trial is only expected to last nine days.
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 14:00
What happened to movie weapons armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed?
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a movie weapons armorer, received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on a Western movie set.
A New Mexico judge found that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a serious violent offense, while noting few indications of genuine remorse from the defendant since her conviction in March.
Prosecutors blame Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols .
Andrea Cavallier10 July 2024 13:00