Somber Alec Baldwin spotted at a restaurant with Rust producer Matt DelPiano – days before his involuntary manslaughter trial is set to begin

Alec Baldwin looked somber as he sat down for lunch with Rust producer and manager Matt DelPiano in LA this week — just days before his involuntary manslaughter trial is set to begin.

Baldwin, 66, faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison if convicted of manslaughter in the shooting that killed camerawoman Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also wounded.

Alec pleaded not guilty prior to the July 9 trial, denying that he pulled the trigger on the gun and that it was his responsibility to ensure that the gun was safe.

The actor wore a black top and a gray suit when he arrived at LAX and met DelPiano.

The couple hugged before heading out for lunch.

Baldwin’s trial is expected to last about two weeks, with jury selection beginning July 9 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sided with prosecutors and last month denied a motion to dismiss Baldwin’s case, after denying an earlier motion in May.

Defense attorneys had argued that the gun involved in the fatal shooting was badly damaged during forensic examination by the FBI before it could be examined for possible modifications or problems that could exonerate the actor-producer.

The ruling removes one of the last hurdles before prosecutors can take the case to trial. Jury selection is scheduled for July 9 in Santa Fe.

Attorneys plan to call more than 60 court-approved witnesses to testify during the trial.

Among them are film director Souza, who was injured in the shooting, and assistant director Dave Halls.

Halls previously pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, and a number of first responders, investigators, firearms experts and close witnesses to the shooting have pleaded guilty. Baldwin is not on the list, but has the right to testify at his own trial.

During a rehearsal on the set of the western film Rust in 2021, Baldwin pointed a gun with camerawoman Halyna Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing her and wounding director Souza when the bullet hit his shoulder.

Baldwin has maintained that he pulled the hammer but not the trigger, and he has pleaded not guilty.

The FBI tested the weapon by hitting it from different angles with a raw leather hammer, which eventually broke the weapon.

The prosecution plans to present evidence at trial that it says shows the gun “could not have gone off without pulling the trigger” and that it was functioning properly before the shooting.

Baldwin has been charged twice in Hutchins’ death. Prosecutors dismissed an earlier charge but refiled it after receiving a new analysis of the revolver Baldwin had identified at Hutchins.

Rustproofing gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting. She is appealing the jury’s verdict.

It is likely that prosecutors will call her to testify at Baldwin’s trial, despite her refusal to answer questions during a pretrial hearing. Instead, they will invoke her constitutional rights against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment.

A judge has rejected a request to compel her testimony by granting her immunity.

Marlowe Sommer said the destruction of the firearm’s internal components was “not very prejudicial” to a fair trial and that Baldwin’s legal team failed to demonstrate bad faith on the part of investigators.

While Baldwin “argues that an unaltered firearm is critical to his case, other evidence regarding the functionality of the firearm on October 21, 2021, militates against defendant’s claims,” the judge wrote.

Sheriff’s detectives initially sent the revolver to the FBI for routine testing, but when an FBI analyst heard Baldwin say in an interview with ABC TV that he had never pulled the trigger, the agency told local authorities they could conduct a test for an accidental shot, although it could damage the weapon.

The FBI was told to proceed by a team of investigators and tested the revolver by striking it from different angles with a raw hammer. One of the blows broke the gun’s firing and safety mechanisms.

The defense said the “outrageous” decision to proceed with the testing may have destroyed exonerating evidence.

Prosecutors said it was “unfortunate” that the weapon broke, but it was not destroyed and the parts are still available.

They say Baldwin’s lawyers are still able to defend their client and cast doubt on the evidence against him.

In Friday’s ruling, the judge said prosecutors must fully disclose during the trial how the FBI’s forensic examination of the gun was conducted, including what was lost during the trial and its relevance to reaching a verdict.

Over the past few days, hours of testimony about the gun and forensic investigation have been heard in online hearings, a dress rehearsal for Baldwin’s potential trial.

Baldwin’s attorneys conducted lengthy and in-depth interviews with the lead detective, an FBI forensic firearms examiner, and the prosecution’s independent weapons expert, Lucien Haag.

The prosecution plans to present evidence that it says shows the firearm “could not have gone off without pulling the trigger” and that it was functioning properly before the shooting.

Since the shooting in 2021, the Rust filming resumes but moved to Montana under an agreement with Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, who appointed him executive producer.

The completed film is not yet available to the public.