Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday in the trial of award-winning actor Alec Baldwin, who is accused in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust.” Baldwin already pleaded not guilty in the case.
Tuesday’s jury selection was marked by delays, with questioning of 70 potential jurors starting several hours later than expected. But at the end of the day, the pool has been winnowed to 16 judges, 4 of which are substitutes. The 11 women and five sitting men will hear the case over the coming weeks and decide whether to sentence the 66-year-old actor.
Here’s what you need to know.
Ross D. Franklin / AP
What happened on the set of “Rust”?
Around 2pm local time on October 21, 2021, a prop firearm Baldwin was holding went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza while rehearsing in a small church on the set. Baldwin, Western star and coproducer, has said he pulled back the Hammer Colt .45, but not pulling the trigger.
The authorities are the same called for flight at Bonanza Creek Ranch and Hutchins was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque via helicopter, where he died of his injuries, according to the sheriff’s office at the time.
Authorities searching the set found live ammunition. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator determined in 2022 that what happened was an accident.
What charges does Alec Baldwin face?
Alec Baldwin faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, a felony. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to half a year. He has pleaded not guilty.
He was first charged in January 2023 but prosecutors dropped the count three months later. Prosecutors again charged Baldwin with the charges involuntary manslaughter in January.
Baldwin asked that the charges be dismissed, but the judge overseeing the case refused his request.
Where is the trial, when does it start and how long does it last?
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer presided over the hearing in the First District Court of New Mexico, in Santa Fe.
The judge set a trial calendar from July 9-19. Jury selection was completed on Tuesday, meaning opening statements are due on Wednesday. The trial is expected to end on July 19, after which the case will go to a jury for deliberation.
Court starts at 8:30 am MDT, 10:30 am EDT. The judge said he expected the court to break at 10:15 a.m. local time for lunch, then at 3:30 p.m.
While cameras are not allowed in the courtroom during jury selection, the trial will be televised live.
Will Alec Baldwin testify?
Baldwin’s attorney has not said whether the actor will defend himself. The actor is already in the court for the proceedings and is expected to attend every day.
Who else do you expect to testify?
The state’s witness list contained 44 names, while the defense listed 14 people as potential witnesses.
When prosecutors wanted to call the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who had convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case, a judge ruled in June that he could not be compelled to testify against Baldwin. He did not testify in his own defense.
In the prosecutor’s list of dozens of potential witnesses is Joel Souza, a film director who was also injured in the shooting, along with several people who were also. also testified at the Gutierrez-Reed trial, such as Seth Kenney, who owns a prop gun company that supplies movie ammunition; Wyatt Mortenson, stuntman in the movie; and Gabrielle Pickle, line producer.
A shorter list of witnesses from the defense included David Halls, assistant director and security coordinator; Ryan Winterstern, a producer who also testified in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial; and other crew members, among others.
Los Angeles-based Hutchins, 42, was a “restless dreamer” and “adrenaline junkie” who grew up on a remote Soviet military base. The Ukrainian-born cinematographer earned a degree in International Journalism from Kyiv National University and graduated from the American Film Institute conservatory. Considered a rising star, his work includes “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello, “Blindfire” and “Darlin’,” which premiered at the SXSW film festival in 2019.
Baldwin announced in 2022 that he had settling the wrongful death lawsuit with the Hutchins family: her husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their son, Andros.
Has anyone else been charged in the case?
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer who supervised the firearms on the set, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter. Even if he is pleaded not guiltythey convicted in March and sentenced to 18 months behind bars after a trial supervised by the same judge who supervised Baldwin’s case. Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted on a charge of tampering with evidence.
Halls previously pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm. Halls, who agreed to cooperate in the shooting investigation, received a suspended sentence of six months of probation.
The production company overseeing the film was fined $136,000maximum under state law, by the New Mexico Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health regarding the incident.
