Alec Baldwin was called “sick” as he arrived in court for the second day of his manslaughter trial in connection with a fatal shooting on the set of his western film “Rust.”
The 66-year-old actor arrived Wednesday in a convoy of three SUVs, dressed in a dark suit, and dodged questions from reporters camped outside the Santa Fe courthouse.
Baldwin and his 40-year-old wife Hilaria appeared in court in October 2021 when they delivered their opening statement in the case surrounding the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western film.
Baldwin was a producer and the star of Rust when he shot and killed cameraman Hutchins, 42, a mother of one, during filming with a prop gun loaded with a live bullet. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also wounded.
The stakes are sky high for Baldwin, and they were made painfully clear in February when Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the gunsmith on the set, appeared in court and was found guilty of the same charges.
Outside the courtroom, attorney Gloria Allred stood with a photo of Halyna Hutchins, her mother Olga and Hutchins’ son.
Allred is representing Hutchins’ family in Ukraine in a civil negligence lawsuit they have filed against Baldwin in the US.
The 66-year-old actor arrived at the courthouse on Wednesday in a convoy of three SUVs, wearing a dark suit and dodging questions from reporters
The stakes are incredibly high for Baldwin and were made painfully clear in February when Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the gunsmith on the set, went on trial and was found guilty
Baldwin and his wife Hilaria, pictured here, appeared in court as opening statements were scheduled to be made in the case
Outside the court, attorney Gloria Allred was present, holding a photo of Halyna Hutchins, her mother Olga and Hutchins’ son and calling Baldwin “sick”
According to Allred, the family could not come because of the ongoing conflict in the country. He said: ‘We want the truth, we want justice.’
She added: ‘Baldwin, despite his lawyers unfairly attacking us, has claimed that they had no close connection to Halyna, which is not true.
‘I know Alec brought one of his seven children, he apparently signed up for a reality show. This is not a reality show!
“This is a trial for the involuntary manslaughter of a young, talented camerawoman. She had the right to be safe on that set, just like every member of the crew.
‘I don’t know if Alec Baldwin decided to hold his baby or if his wife held the baby and then gave her to a nanny or a producer [part of] the reality show.
“It’s cynical and possibly a calculated public relations stunt to make him appear more sympathetic to the jury.”
Holding up the photo, Allred said, “This is a child, too. This is Halyna’s child who no longer has a mother.
“Let’s not forget that this is a real case in Santa Fe, New Mexico and we need to take this seriously!”
When asked what she thought about him filming his reality show from prison, she replied, “I don’t know what his plans are, unless he uses this trial and his children as part of a reality show. I think it’s sick.”
Baldwin sat at the defense table in the courtroom and appeared nervous, while Hilaria and his brother Stephen Baldwin, who is also an actor, sat behind him in the public gallery.
In her opening statement, Erlinda Johnson, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, said Baldwin violated “basic rules of firearm safety” and was “reckless” on set.
Halyna Hutchins died after being hit by a bullet from the prop gun Baldwin was wielding
Baldwin is represented by Alex Spiro, a prominent attorney whose other clients include Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger and Naomi Osaka
The 66-year-old Emmy Award-winning actor has pleaded not guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter
In the courtroom, Baldwin sat at the defense table and appeared nervous, while Hilaria and his brother Stephen Baldwin, both behind the star, sat behind him in the public gallery
According to Johnson, Baldwin requested the biggest gun available when he arrived on set in October 2021.
She told jurors: “If someone acts like they’re playing with a real gun in a real workplace and violates the basic rules of gun safety, people’s lives are in danger and someone could get killed. That’s what this case is about. It’s simple, straight forward.
‘Someone who played pretend with a real gun and violated basic rules of firearm safety is the suspect, Alexander Baldwin.
‘Although it was a film set, it was a real workplace for many people. But you will hear that this workplace had a tight budget
‘Some of the people who were hired at this job were very inexperienced. One of them was the gunsmith, a very young woman named Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
‘As in many workplaces, there are people who act recklessly and endanger others. That is the suspect Alexander Baldwin, the protagonist of this film.
“Every time the suspect handled this firearm, he did not do a safety check with that inexperienced gunsmith. The reason is he did not want to offend her.
“The evidence you will see will paint a realistic picture of a real workplace where this defendant mishandled this weapon
‘You’ll see him use this gun as a pointer to point at people and things, you’ll see him cock the hammer when he shouldn’t, put his finger on the trigger when he shouldn’t,
“You will hear about the numerous firearm safety violations involving the suspect and this firearm.”
Baldwin, seen here outside the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office on the day of the shooting, was sensationally charged for the second time in January of this year
Baldwin, Hutchins and gunsmith Gutierrez-Reed are surrounded on the set of Rust, along with other cast members and crew
The film was shot on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set in Santa Fe
‘These rules, which play out in the film, require actors like the defendant to treat every firearm as if it were loaded, never to point a firearm at another person, and never to place their finger on the trigger unless they intend to shoot or destroy something in front of them.
‘On October 21, 2021, the suspect again violated the established safety rules and during this violation the director had instructed him to slowly grab the weapon. But you will see that the suspect quickly grabs it and aims the first time.
‘You hear witness statements, the first time his finger was on or around the trigger. He does it again and again you hear his finger was on or around the trigger.
‘That third and fatal time, he quickly pulls it out, cocks the hammer, points it straight at Mrs. Hutchins and fires the gun, sending the bullet straight into Mrs. Hutchins’ body.’
The trial is the culmination of a nearly three-year nightmare for Mr Baldwin that has finally come to justice.
The 66-year-old Emmy Award-winning actor has pleaded not guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin is represented by Alex Spiro, a prominent attorney whose other clients include Elon Musk, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger and Naomi Osaka.
The case had a long and arduous path to trial: Baldwin was originally charged in January 2023 with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Three months later, they were withdrawn based on new evidence, prosecutors said, adding that they needed more time to investigate.
Baldwin was indicted for the second time on the same charges in January of this year.
Baldwin and his wife are currently filming a reality TV series about their family. It’s unclear if they’ll have a camera crew following them around New Mexico, but the show is set to air in 2025, meaning filming is likely underway now.
The case is expected to last eight days, with evidence and arguments presented, followed by deliberations.