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) — The trial of Hollywood star Alec Baldwin, accused of manslaughter in a shooting on the set of the Western film “Lust,” began on Wednesday, with Baldwin accused of “playing house” with a deadly weapon.
During one fateful rehearsal in October 2021, Baldwin was carrying a prop revolver, which discharged live ammunition, killing cinematographer Halina Hutchins and wounding the cinematographer.
Prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, in her opening statement in a Santa Fe courtroom, painted a picture of an influential movie star who violated basic gun safety rules and behaved recklessly on set.
Baldwin “played with a real gun and violated basic firearm safety rules,” the defense told the jury.
The film’s weapons maker, Hannah Gutierrez, has already been convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Baldwin, 66, could face similar penalties if convicted.
The actor appeared in a southwestern New Mexico courtroom on Wednesday in a black suit and tie and spoke quietly with his wife, Hilaria, and his brother, Stephen, before opening statements began.
He said he did not know the gun was loaded and denied pulling the trigger of the revolver.
Celebrity lawyer Alex Spiro has already warned jurors that they must not let their feelings about Baldwin’s high-profile career, which included an impersonation of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, cloud the verdict.
Spiro’s team is expected to portray Baldwin, in his role as an actor, as a victim who had no responsibility for checking for a weapon.
The judge ruled that Baldwin’s role as a producer on Lust was irrelevant to the case.
The victim, Hutchins, was originally from Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic.
She moved to the United States and had a successful career as a Hollywood cinematographer before being murdered at the age of 42.
The tragedy occurred one sunny afternoon during the filming of Lust, during a rehearsal in a small chapel at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a historic location for Western films.
Baldwin had prepared a scene in which his character, a gray-haired outlaw who is holed up in a church by two sheriffs, brandishes a Colt six-shooter.
The actor said he was informed the gun was safe and that Hutchins instructed him to point the revolver at the camera, but the gun misfired.
The FBI report contradicted parts of Baldwin’s testimony and concluded that the revolver could not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
Prosecutors plan to present witnesses, including the gun manufacturer, to support the verdict.
But the weapon was damaged during an FBI test, and the defense argues it was denied the opportunity to disprove the report’s findings.
Live ammunition is typically banned on movie sets.
Following opening statements Wednesday, jurors will hear testimony from witnesses expected to include “Lust” director Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting.
Potential witnesses include the film’s first assistant director, David Halls, who pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid prison time, and prop firearms supplier Seth Kenney.
It is not yet clear whether Baldwin plans to take the stand in his defense, a move that legal experts say would be risky and expose the reportedly difficult actor to hostile cross-examination.
Mr. Gutierrez, the arms manufacturer, did not testify in his own defense.
Baldwin’s trial is scheduled to conclude next Friday, with jury deliberations likely to extend into the following week.
