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4 months ago
21
Alec Baldwin was branded ‘sick’ as he arrived in court for the second day of his manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of his Western film 'Rust'.
The actor, 66, arrived on Wednesday in a convoy of three SUVs while wearing a dark suit and avoided questions from reporters camped outside the Santa Fe courthouse.
Baldwin and his wife Hilaria, 40, appeared at the courthouse as opening statements are set to take place in the case involving the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western film in October 2021.
Baldwin was a producer and the star of Rust when he shot dead cinematographer Hutchins, 42, a mother-of-one, while filming with a prop gun that had a live round inside it. The film's director Joel Souza was also injured.
The stakes for Baldwin are incredibly high and were starkly illustrated in February when Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the armourer on the set, went on trial and was found guilty for the same charges in the same court.
Outside of court was the attorney Gloria Allred who held a photo of Halyna Hutchins, her mother Olga and Hutchins’ son.
Allred is representing Hutchins’ family in Ukraine as part of a civil negligence lawsuit they have brought against Baldwin in the US.
The actor, 66, arrived in court on Wednesday in a convoy of three SUVs while wearing a dark suit and avoided questions from reporters
The stakes for Baldwin are incredibly high and were starkly illustrated in February when Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the armourer on the set, went on trial and was found guilty
Baldwin and his wife Hilaria, seen here, appeared at the courthouse as opening statements are set to take place in the case
Outside of court was the attorney Gloria Allred who held a photo of Halyna Hutchins, her mother Olga and Hutchins’ son and branded Baldwin 'sick'
According to Allred, the family had been unable to come because of the ongoing conflict in the country, saying: ‘We would like the truth, we would like justice.’
She added: ‘Baldwin, though his attorneys have attacked us unfairly, suggested they didn't have a close relationship with Halyna which is false.
‘I know Alec brought one of his seven children, he’s apparently signed up for a reality show. This is not a reality show!
‘This is a trial of involuntary manslaughter of a young, talented cinematographer. She had a right to be safe on that set as did every member of the crew.
‘I don’t know whether Alec Baldwin decided to make holding his baby or his wife holding the baby and then handing her to a nanny or a producer [part of] the reality show.
‘It is cynical and potentially a calculated public relations move to make him seem more sympathetic to the jury’.
Holding up the photo, Allred said: ‘This is a child as well. This is Halyna's child who no longer has a mother.
‘Let’s not forget, this is a real case in Santa Fe, New Mexico and it has to be taken seriously!’
When asked what she thought him maybe maybe filming his reality show from jail, she added: ‘I don’t know what his plans are except if he uses this trial and his children as part of a reality show, I think it’s sick.’
In the court, Baldwin sat at the defense table and appeared nervous while Hilaria and his brother Stephen Baldwin, who is also an actor, sat behind him in the public gallery.
In her opening statement, Erlinda Johnson, a special prosecutor appointed to the case, said that Baldwin had 'violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety’ and that he was 'reckless' on set.
Halyna Hutchins died after being hit by a bullet from the prop gun that Baldwin was handling
Baldwin is being represented by Alex Spiro, a high profile lawyer whose other clients include Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger and Naomi Osaka
The Emmy award winning actor, 66, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter
In the court, Baldwin sat at the defense table and appeared nervous while Hilaria and his brother Stephen Baldwin, both seen behind the star, sat behind him in the public gallery
Johnson said that Baldwin had requested the biggest gun available after he arrived on the set in in October 2021.
She told jurors: ‘When someone plays make believe with a real gun in a real life workplace and while playing with the gun violates the cardinal rules of gun safety people's lives are endangered and somebody could be killed. That’s what this case is about. It’s simple, straightforward.
‘That someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin.
‘While it was a movie set it was a real life workplace for many people. But you will hear this workplace was on a tight budget
‘Some of the people who were hired to work at this work place were very inexperienced and one of those was the armorer, a very young woman named Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
‘Like in many workplaces there are people who act in a reckless manner and placed other individuals in danger. That you will hear was the defendant Alexander Baldwin, the lead actor on this film.
‘Each time the defendant handled this firearm he did not do a safety check with that inexperienced armorer. The reason is because he didn’t want to offend her.
‘The evidence you will see will paint a real life picture of a real life workplace where this defendant mishandled this gun
‘You will see him using this gun as a pointer to point at people, things, you will see him cock the hammer when he’s not supposed to, put his finger on the trigger when his finger’s not supposed to be on the trigger,
‘You will hear about numerous breaches of firearm safety with the defendant and this firearm.’
Baldwin, seen here outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's offices on the day of the shooting, was sensationally charged for a second time in January this year
Baldwin, Hutchins and armorer Gutierrez-Reed are circled on the set of Rust alongside fellow cast members and staffers
The movie was being shot on the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set in Santa Fe
‘These movie set rules require actors like the defendant to treat every firearm as though it’s loaded, to never point a firearm at another person, never put your finger on the trigger unless you’re prepared to shoot or destroy whatever is in front of you.
‘On Oct 21 2021 the defendant once again violated those set safety rules and during this the director had instructed him to slowly take out that gun but you will see the defendant takes it out quickly the first time, points it.
‘You will hear witness testimony, the first time his finger was on or around the trigger. He does it again and once again you will hear his finger was on or around the trigger.
'That third and fatal time he takes it out fast, he cocks the hammer, points it straight as Ms Hutchins and fires that gun, sending that live bullet right into Ms Hutchins body.’
The trial is the culmination of a nightmare for Mr Baldwin that has lasted for nearly three years and has finally come to court.
The Emmy award winning actor, 66, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin is being represented by Alex Spiro, a high profile lawyer whose other clients include Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger and Naomi Osaka.
The case has had a long and tortured path to trial: Baldwin was originally charged in January 2023 with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
They were dropped three months later in light of new evidence, prosecutors said, adding they needed more time to investigate.
Baldwin was sensationally charged for a second time in January this year with the same charges.
Baldwin and his wife are currently filming a reality TV series about their family. It is not clear if a camera crew is trailing them in New Mexico, but the show is due to air in 2025 meaning filming is likely underway now.
The case is expected to hear eight days of evidence and argument, followed by deliberations.
English (US)