Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter began on Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the indie western “Rust.”
Hutchins died in October 2021 after a prop gun Baldwin was handling during rehearsal went off. The bullet killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
The “30 Rock” actor, who was also the producer of “Rust,” entered a not guilty plea after he was recharged in January. Baldwin was first charged in January 2023, but the prosecution dismissed that case in April 2023, citing a delay in forensic analysis.
Film set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the person responsible with overseeing the production’s weapons for the cast and crew, received the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison earlier this year, after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Though he hasn’t explicitly blamed Gutierrez-Reed for the on-set fatality, Baldwin has adamantly denied pulling the trigger of the gun in public statements and interviews.
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” Baldwin told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in 2021. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
The prosecution claims Baldwin was nonetheless negligent in his handling of the firearm and therefore should be held responsible.
Though the actor’s legal team made several attempts to have the controversial case dismissed, late last month Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled the trial will go on as planned.
Jury selection commenced on Tuesday, marking the start of the second trial stemming from the fatal 2021 shooting.
If the prosecution and defending lawyers are able to seat a jury, arguments will begin Wednesday.
Follow live updates below:
A Jury Of Baldwin's Peers
Opening arguments are set to begin as scheduled Wednesday.
Hiccups With Potential Jurors
Asked if they could approach the case fairly, Fox News reported that one potential juror said, "I have read the case extensively and looked at it and reviewed it and don't feel I can be fair."
Another claimed their bias against Baldwin and stance "regarding unions" made them unfit for the jury.
During his time questioning potential jurors, Baldwin's lawyer reminded the pool the star was a "real person."
Trying to suss out who may have preconceived notions about Baldwin, attorney Alex Spiro said, "Maybe he played a role in a movie you didn’t like, maybe he did a comedy routine or an imitation you don’t like," possibly alluding to the actor's "Saturday Night Live" impressions of President Donald Trump.
He also asked for "unequivocal assurance" they could follow legal standards and not be swayed "just because something tragic happened."
Jury Selection Begins
Lawyers for both sides were set to select from a pool of 70 potential jurors and hoped to seat the jury by the end of the day, as reported by The Guardian.
While voir dire was set to start early Tuesday, the court saw a two-hour delay due to technical issues and heat in the courtroom, according to Fox News.
When special prosecutor Kari Morrissey took over questioning, she asked about potential jurors' news consumption, their views on gun ownership and whether they had connections to the film industry.
A Minor Win For Team Baldwin
Prosecutors hoped to use the star's role as producer to illustrate how the film crew was under pressure to keep a tight schedule and cut costs, leading to lax safety protocols on set.
Siding with the defense, Marlowe said, "I’m having real difficulty with the state’s position that they want to show that as a producer he didn’t follow guidelines and therefore as an actor Mr. Baldwin did all of these things wrong that resulted in the death of Ms. Hutchins because as a producer he allowed these things to happen."
Monday marked Baldwin's first in-person appearance in court. During proceedings, the actor reportedly "kept his head down, and at times appeared to take notes," according to People magazine.
The Nuts And Bolts Of The Prosecution's Case
After evaluating the gun, investigators with the FBI, along with independent forensic experts, have said it would be impossible for the revolver to go off without its trigger being pulled.
Earlier court filings from the prosecution further claim that Baldwin had not respected on-set safety protocol after missing the production's initial firearms training.
In a subsequent one-on-one training with Gutierrez-Reed, the state wrote that, "Mr. Baldwin was inattentive during this training and spent time during the training on the phone with his family and making videos of himself shooting the gun for his family’s enjoyment."
The prosecution also contends that Baldwin's current account of the shooting contradict earlier interviews with law enforcement, where he claimed the gun just "went off" but never asserted that he did not pull the trigger.
Prosecutors allege that the star only began claiming he did not trigger the revolver after a 2021 interview with George Stephanopoulos, in which they accuse the actor of having "lied with impunity and blamed the incident on Ms. Hutchins."
A grand jury handed down an indictment earlier this year, charging the actor by two separate involuntary manslaughter standards: a lesser charge of negligent use of a firearm, as well as a felony charge for acting without due caution or circumspection.
The jury will only have to return one verdict on one count to convict Baldwin, however.
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