SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin’s trial in the shooting death of a cinematographer is set to begin Tuesday with selection of a jury that will decide whether the actor is guilty of manslaughter.
While it’s unusual for such a big star to be selected to serve on a jury accused of such serious crimes, even in Los Angeles or Baldwin’s native New York, it will be a fundamentally unprecedented experience for jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which has become increasingly popular in recent years as a hub for Hollywood film production.
Baldwin, 66, could face up to 18 months in prison if a jury unanimously finds him guilty of a felony in the October 2021 shooting that occurred when a revolver fired at cinematographer Halina Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during a rehearsal for the Western film “Lust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from where the trial is being held.
Baldwin said he was following instructions to point the gun at Hutchins, who was behind the camera, when the gun accidentally fired. He said he did not know the gun contained live ammunition and pulled the hammer instead of the trigger, causing the gun to fire.
The “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October” star made his first court appearance on Monday, when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled during a pretrial hearing, in a major victory for the defense, that Baldwin’s role as a co-producer on “Lust” was irrelevant to the trial.
The judge said the unique circumstances of a celebrity trial should not prevent jury selection from moving forward quickly and that opening statements should begin Wednesday.
“I’m not worried about whether we can select a jury in one day,” Marlowe Sommer said. “I think we can select a jury by this afternoon.”
But special prosecutor Kari Morrissey has questioned whether Baldwin’s lawyers, who have been at odds before the trial, will be able to do that.
Attorney Alex Spiro (from left), actors Alec Baldwin, Luke Nikas and Heather LeBlanc attend a pretrial hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Monday, July 8, 2024. Baldwin is charged with a single count of manslaughter in the death of the cinematographer. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)
“I don’t think that’s going to happen with the strength of this team of lawyers,” Morrissey said at the hearing.
Before Judge Marlowe Sommer’s sentencing on Monday, prosecutors had hoped to highlight Baldwin’s safety duties on set as a co-producer to bolster their case beyond the charge of negligent use of a firearm. They sought to link Baldwin’s actions to the “total disregard or indifference to the safety of others” in the manslaughter statute.
But prosecutors scored other victories Monday: They successfully argued to exclude summary findings from a state workplace safety investigation that placed much of the blame on the film’s assistant director and shifted the blame away from Baldwin.
Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, responded, “I’ve never had a case where we didn’t select a jury in one day, and I don’t believe this is the first time.”
Dozens of potential jurors will be called into the courtroom for questioning Tuesday morning. Cameras filming the rest of the proceedings will be turned off for privacy. The jury is expected to hear the case after nine days of deliberations.
Attorneys can request that jurors be dismissed for conflicts of interest or other reasons. Under state law, the defense can dismiss up to five jurors without giving a reason, and the prosecution can dismiss up to three. After the four alternate jurors are selected, further challenges are allowed.
And the judge ruled that graphic images from Hutchins’ autopsy can be shown, as well as footage from police lapel cameras while she was being treated for her injuries.
