Jury selection in the manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin is set to begin Tuesday, nearly three years after cinematographer Halina Hutchins was shot and killed on the set of a New Mexico Western.
“The Departed” actor arrived at the Santa Fe courthouse early Tuesday morning wearing a dark gray suit, thick-rimmed black glasses and carrying a yellow legal pad.
Baldwin, 66, has pleaded not guilty and claims he is not criminally responsible for unintentionally firing live ammunition from a prop revolver he was using on set in October 2021. Because live ammunition is prohibited on movie sets, guns in movies are typically loaded with blanks that are safe for filming.
Baldwin, the lead actor in “Lust” and a co-producer on the film, claims that he pulled the hammer, not the trigger, when the gun went off during a rehearsal for a scene, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
He is accused of causing Hutchins’ death “by the careless use of a firearm” or “by acts carried out with such total disregard or indifference to the safety of others that a reasonable person would expect, under the circumstances, that death might occur.”
If convicted of manslaughter, a Class 4 felony in New Mexico, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.
The trial is expected to last 10 days, with opening statements to be given after the jury is seated, in what is expected to be a rare star-studded and media-focused moment in normally low-key Santa Fe, potentially shining an unusual spotlight on the jurors.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, an arms dealer on the film, was convicted of manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Prosecutors argued that she ignored regulations by bringing live ammunition onto the set and failed to follow gun safety procedures that could have prevented the shooting. Gutierrez-Reed is appealing her conviction.
A judge ruled earlier this week that Baldwin’s role as a producer would not be taken into account in the trial.
Baldwin, 66, was a familiar figure for decades, having appeared in films such as the NBC comedy-drama “30 Rock,” the 1990 film “The Hunt for Red October,” the 1996 film “Ghosts of Mississippi” and the animated movie “The Boss Baby.”
He famously lampooned former President Trump nearly 40 times in comedy sketches on Saturday Night Live, from just before the 2016 election, through Trump’s inauguration and through the 2020 election. The former president was no fan.
“Alec Baldwin, whose mediocre career was fading with my terrible impersonation on SNL, now says it was painful for him to play me,” Trump tweeted in 2018. “Alec, that was painful for those forced to watch.”
After the “Last” shooting, Trump rekindled resentment by claiming, without evidence, in a radio interview that Hutchins’ death may have been deliberate.
Baldwin released a statement the day after the shooting, expressing his “shock and sadness over this tragic accident.”
“I am cooperating fully with police investigations to establish how this tragedy occurred. [Hutchens’] “I have reached out to her husband and offered my support to him and his family. My heart breaks for her husband, his son and all who knew and loved Halina,” Baldwin said at the time.
Police released video taken moments after the shooting that shows Baldwin answering a phone call and appearing panicked.
“You have no idea how incredible this is, and how bizarre it is,” Baldwin said.
