American actor, Alec Baldwin’s opening statement on highly anticipated trial for involuntary manslaughter will begin at a New Mexico courthouse on Wednesday.
According to AFP, this trial concerns a tragic shooting on the set of the Western movie ‘Rust’.
During a rehearsal in October 2021, Baldwin was handling a gun that fired a live round, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring the film’s director.
Baldwin, 66, maintained that he was unaware the gun was loaded and did not pull the trigger.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey has already secured a conviction for the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, who received an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter. Morrissey is now focused on Baldwin, who faces the same potential sentence if found guilty.
Morrissey will present the state’s case, arguing that Baldwin violated fundamental gun safety protocols and will try to depict him as a reckless movie star.
Baldwin has been present in Santa Fe for the jury selection process, which concluded with 11 women and five men, including alternates, chosen to decide his fate.
Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, emphasized during jury selection that the jurors should not let Baldwin’s fame or his career, including his impersonations of Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” affect their judgment. Spiro plans to argue that Baldwin was unaware the gun was loaded, did not pull the trigger, and was not responsible for checking the weapon as an actor.
The judge has excluded any arguments or evidence related to Baldwin’s role as a producer on ‘Rust’.
The incident, which occurred on a sunny afternoon midway through filming, took place in a small chapel on the Bonanza Creek Ranch.
Baldwin was rehearsing a scene where his character, an aging outlaw cornered by two marshals, draws his Colt six-shooter.
Baldwin claimed he was informed the gun was safe and was instructed by Hutchins to point the revolver in her direction when it misfired. Live ammunition is prohibited on film sets.
Following the opening arguments, the jury will hear from witnesses, including Joel Souza, the “Rust” director who was injured in the shooting.
Other potential witnesses include David Halls, the film’s first assistant director who pled guilty to negligence, and prop firearms supplier Seth Kenney.
It remains uncertain if Baldwin will testify in his defense.
The trial is set to conclude by next Friday, with jury deliberations to follow.
