Nearly three years following the tragic gunfire on the Rust movie set, court proceedings commenced against Alec Baldwin in an overflowing Santa Fe courtroom. The prosecutors painted an image of a hazardous film set, operating on a shoestring budget, with a leading actor who disregarded the fundamental principles of gun safety.
The trial concerning the actor’s involuntary manslaughter charges got underway on Wednesday, with the defence and prosecution making their inaugural arguments. The courtroom was brimming with reporters and also included Mr Baldwin’s wife and brother, who sat right behind him.
The state attorneys argued that Mr Baldwin’s heedless actions resulted in the demise of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who lost her life on the set at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a favoured film site located half an hour from the city, in October 2021.
Mr Baldwin, who was both the actor and co-producer of the western, was practising his scenes when he aimed a stage firearm at Ms Hutchins. The device discharged a lone bullet, which claimed the life of Ms Hutchins and injured the director, Joel Souza.
Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson announced that the evidence would reveal that the gun was operational, contradicting Mr Baldwin’s assertions that it was faulty. She mentioned Mr Baldwin negligently failed to perform safety checks and repeatedly breached set safety guidelines by resting his finger on the firearm’s hammer and trigger and pointing it at people present on the set while filming.
Ms Johnson indicated that the gun, which Mr Baldwin had requested, was functioning as intended. She emphasised his reckless disregard for Ms Hutchins’s safety when aiming the gun at her, cocking it, and pulling the trigger.
Intricate details surrounding the Colt .45 used in the shooting will be a substantial focal point of the trial. Mr Baldwin has consistently denied firing the weapon. The prosecution contends that forensic examination on the gun suggests that the actor had indeed pulled the trigger and was careless in controlling it.
The defence, during its initial statements, argued that Mr Baldwin was immersed in his role and should not have been expected to verify the safety of the gun. They asserted that it was the responsibility of others on the set, particularly the film’s armourer and the first assistant director, to ensure the gun’s safety, as pointed out by defence attorney Alex Spiro.
He highlighted the most important question was to determine how a live round managed to end up on the set.
Mr Spiro emphasised, “The evidence will show that on a movie set, safety has to occur before the gun is placed in an actor’s hands.”
Mr Baldwin has been embroiled in a legal tussle in the New Mexico courts since January 2024, following his indictment by a grand jury on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. A similar charge had been laid against him in 2023, only to be later retracted by the prosecutors who needed additional time to delve into the evidence. Baldwin’s legal defence team worked tirelessly to have the charges against him dismissed, and had recently moved for dismissal on the grounds of potential ‘exculpatory evidence’ destruction during the FBI’s pre-defence firearm examination. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer chose to dismiss these requests.
Last Tuesday marked a significant move in the proceedings as a jury consisting of 11 women and five men were handpicked from an assembly of 70 individuals. Though a majority of the jury were familiar with the case, all affirmed their impartiality and fairness towards the matter. Kari Morrissey, the prosecutor, expressed on Tuesday, “The responsibility of both sides’ attorneys is to guarantee the selection of an even-handed, unbiased jury. We want jurors who will exhibit fairness towards the state and also towards Mr Baldwin.”
The court appearance follows the conviction and 18-month prison sentence of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the main weapons officer on the Rust set, for involuntary manslaughter. Legal pundits opined that the prosecutors might encounter challenges in demonstrating Mr Baldwin’s culpability, following Ms Gutierrez-Reed’s trial in which she was adjudged liable.