SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – JULY 8: Alec Baldwin listens to testimony during a pretrial hearing in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 8, 2024. Baldwin is charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins on the set of the film “The Lust.” Ross D. Franklin – Pool/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Pool/Getty Images North America/AFP via Getty Images)
SANTA FE (USA) (AFP) — Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of a Western movie in 2021 begins on Tuesday with jurors being selected to decide whether he was responsible for the death of a crew member from the film “Lust.”
The Hollywood A-lister pointed a prop gun at cinematographer Halina Hutchins while rehearsing a scene, causing a live bullet to fire, killing Hutchins and wounding the director.
Baldwin, 66, has said he did not know the gun was loaded and did not pull the trigger. Prosecutors say he acted recklessly at the scene and has changed his testimony multiple times since the tragic incident in October 2021.
Baldwin’s lawyers have tried multiple times, but failed, to get the case thrown out. On Monday, the actor appeared at his final pretrial hearing, where he took detailed notes on a yellow notepad he keeps in his Barnes & Noble tote bag.
Jury selection began Tuesday and opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday, with the trial in southwestern New Mexico expected to last about 10 days.
The huge profile of the “30 Rock” actors and the rarity of on-set fatalities meant the incident attracted worldwide attention and sharply divided opinion.
Sympathetic observers see Baldwin as a victim who was pursued by prosecutors in part because of his status as a public figure and liberal darling.
Others believe the death was the easily avoidable result of a movie star’s unpredictable and self-indulgent behavior.
“Mr. Baldwin’s behavior on the set of Lust displays a man with zero control over his emotions and zero regard for how his actions affect those around him,” special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said.
If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison. It is not yet known whether he plans to take the stand in his own defense.
Hutchins’ death occurred nearly three years ago, during a sunny afternoon rehearsal in a small chapel at Bonanza Creek Ranch during the filming of “Lust.”
Baldwin was rehearsing a scene in which his character, an aging outlaw cornered by two sheriffs in a church, pulls out a Colt six-shooter.
The actor said he was told the gun was safe and that Hutchins instructed him to point the gun in her direction but he did not pull the trigger.
Live ammunition is banned on movie sets anyway, and Baldwin said it was not his responsibility as an actor to check for it.
Filming on “Lust” was halted by tragedy but was completed last year in Montana.
Earlier this year, the film’s arms manufacturer was convicted of manslaughter by the same court and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Her trial revealed the arguments the prosecution will likely make against Baldwin.
