Actor Alec Baldwin is about to go on trial almost three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins passed away on the “Rust” film set in New Mexico.
Alec Baldwin has arrived for his pre-trial hearing in New Mexico.
The actor is facing trial for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set. pic.twitter.com/9Is508M0K6
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 8, 2024
For his involvement in the incident, which also harmed Joel Souza, Baldwin is accused of involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin’s trial’s jury choosing begins on Tuesday. Whether Baldwin will testify in front of courts is yet unknown.
Context of the Event
Baldwin was practicing on October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, using a fake gun. Hutchins died and Souza was injured as the rifle fired.
Baldwin has said in interviews that the gun malfunctioned, so implying he did not pull the trigger. He told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that he was acting according to Hutchins’ instructions and drew back the hammer without cocked it. FBI tests on the 45-caliber Colt prop handgun in 2022 on the other hand revealed the gun would not have fired without the trigger being pressed.
Baldwin’s legal team asked the court to throw out the case last month claiming the gun was damaged during FBI testing, but the move was denied.
Alec Baldwin arrived at court on Monday and was seen walking into the courthouse with his head down for a pretrial hearing. Baldwin’s trial for the deadly shooting on the “Rust” movie set is scheduled to start on July 9 with jury selection and is expected to last at least 10 days pic.twitter.com/mAUmrYDVIg
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) July 8, 2024
Legal Trends
Baldwin was first accused of involuntary manslaughter and an extra charge related to an additional weapon enhancement; these charges were eventually withdrawn, therefore lowering his possible jail sentence by five years.
Special prosecutor Andrea Reed resigned in March 2023 due of a conflict of interest connected with her membership in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Then Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies named special prosecutors Jason Lewis and Kari T. Morrissey.
Prosecutors said, “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” after charges against Baldwin were dropped in April to let additional investigation.
Morrissey and Lewis kept investigating over the next several months. Sources said by October 2023 Baldwin and the special prosecutors considered a plea agreement, which was eventually withdrawn. Presenting Baldwin’s case to a grand jury, they found him guilty on one count of involuntary manslaughter in January.
Confident, Baldwin’s lawyers Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas said, “We look forward to our day in court.”
Re-charging Baldwin drew criticism from SAG-AFTRA, the union representing more than 150,000 performers.
Sentencing for the Armorer
Additionally charged with involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering was Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armaments manager for the movie on set. April saw her conviction; she is serving an eighteen-month term.
Gutierrez-Reed called to testify in Baldwin’s trial but, during her pretrial interview in May, she asserted her Fifth Amendment right. Her possible testimony is yet unknown.
During the pretrial hearing for the Alec Baldwin trial, state attorneys argued that two witnesses should be excluded from testifying. The two individuals in question are Christopher Zook and Ryan Winterstern, one of whom was a producer for the “Rust” film. pic.twitter.com/AUh66i7avy
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) July 8, 2024
Assistant director Dave Hall, who entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a lethal weapon and underwent six months of unsupervised probation, is likely to testify as well. According to Baldwin, Hall said the rifle was “cold” before delivering it to him, meaning it lacked any live ammo.
Prosecutors have charged Baldwin with giving law enforcement and the media contradicting narratives on whether he fired under Hutchins’ command.
The study is expected to run two weeks or more.
Major Points:
- Alec Baldwin is set to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter nearly three years after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” film set.
- Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger and that the gun misfired, though FBI testing suggested otherwise.
- Jury selection for Baldwin’s trial begins Tuesday, with uncertainty about whether he will testify.
- The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is serving an 18-month sentence, while assistant director Dave Halls is expected to testify.
- Baldwin’s trial is expected to last about two weeks, amid accusations from prosecutors that he provided conflicting accounts of the incident.
Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
