SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Lawyers prepared to make opening statements Thursday in actor Alec Baldwin’s first trial in connection with the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during rehearsals for the Western movie “The Last.” .
in front baldwin incident A film weapons supervisor is on trial for manslaughter and evidence tampering in the October 21, 2021, death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins at a movie ranch outside Santa Fe.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed has pleaded not guilty and said she is not directly responsible for Hutchins’ death. In a court filing, lead defense attorney Jason Bowles pointed to workplace safety regulators’ findings of widespread problems beyond the armorers’ control.
Prosecutors plan to present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition to the filming location, where it was explicitly prohibited. The armorer reportedly missed multiple opportunities to get to safety and eventually loaded the gun with live ammunition, killing Hutchins.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in a separate case.
Prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis initially dismissed manslaughter charges against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun had been modified and may have malfunctioned before the shooting. A more recent analysis of the gun concluded that “a sufficient pull or push of the trigger is required to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
Santa Fe-area jurors in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial were sworn in Wednesday at the end of a daylong selection process that included questions about their exposure to media coverage and social media conversations about the case. Initially, four jurors will serve as alternates to the 12 jurors.
Gutierrez-Reed, the stepdaughter of famed sniper and weapons consultant Tell Reed, was 24 years old at the time of Hutchins’ death.
If convicted of manslaughter, she could face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Her evidence tampering charges stem from accusations that she passed a small bag of possible drugs to another crew member after the shooting to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Her lawyers say the charges are an attempt by prosecutors to smear Gutierrez-Reed’s character. Her lawyer said the bag was thrown away without checking her contents.
The trial is scheduled to end on March 6, and there will be more than 40 potential witnesses.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of “The Last,” is not on the pretrial witness list and could invoke safeguards against self-incrimination if asked. His trial date has not been set.
Baldwin said he pulled back the gun’s hammer, not the trigger, and the gun fired. He was indicted by a grand jury in January.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers claim she was unfairly made a scapegoat. They claim live ammunition arrived on set from an Albuquerque-based dummy ammunition supplier.
Gutierrez-Reed is also accused in a separate incident of bringing a gun into a bar in downtown Santa Fe, in violation of state law. Her lawyers claim the charges were used to try to coerce Gutierrez-Reed into making false confessions about handling live ammunition on the set of “The Last.”
According to state workplace safety regulators, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for storing, maintaining and handling firearms and ammunition on set, as well as training cast members to handle firearms.
Live ammunition and dummy ammunition are usually distinguished by a small hole in the dummy brass cartridge, indicating that there is no explosive inside, or by shaking the bullet and hearing the rattling sound of a BB gun inserted inside. . A dummy bullet is also characterized by a missing or indented primer at the bottom of the cartridge.
Rust Movie Productions paid a $100,000 fine to the state following damning reports of safety defects that violated standard industry protocols.
