Trial of Alec Baldwin “Rust” begins with jury selection

UPDATE 4:00 p.m. PDT:

The trial of Alec Baldwin in the Rust case began Tuesday afternoon with the selection and swearing-in of 12 jurors and four alternates. Eleven women and five men from New Mexico were present under the supervision of Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer in her Santa Fe County courtroom.

Opening arguments in the trial of the actor for the manslaughter of “Rust” camerawoman Halyna Hutchins were scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

UPDATE 9:30 a.m. PDT:
Jury selection began Tuesday morning in the manslaughter trial of Alec Baldwin. If convicted, he faces up to 18 months in prison in New Mexico. Baldwin was in court with his brother Billy and his wife Hilaria.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom during jury selection, which is expected to take up most of Tuesday. Opening arguments could begin as early as Wednesday.

EARLIER:

When Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial begins Tuesday, he will be armed with top-notch defense lawyers, the power of his enormous celebrity and a possible scapegoat: Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the gunsmith from “Rust” who is already in a New Mexico prison for the accidental shooting of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins.

But Baldwin’s path to avoiding a similar fate – Gutierrez-Reed was escorted away by officers just minutes after her guilty verdict was read to a shocked courtroom on March 6 – is tricky and narrow, legal experts told TheWrap.

Especially since Baldwin was the one holding the gun.

The infamous October 2021 incident on the low-budget western near Santa Fe resulted in Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction, as well as a guilty plea to a negligence charge by assistant director David Halls. Baldwin, the last crew member to be tried for the “Rust” disaster, also has the advantage of having already seen the lion’s share of the prosecution’s evidence.

And on Monday, the judge presiding over the case awarded Baldwin a small legal victory when she said prosecutors could not present evidence of his role as co-producer. The state had sought to argue that Baldwin failed in that position as an overseer of on-set security, in addition to recklessly aiming guns as an actor.

But here Baldwin’s advantages seem to have been exhausted.

Never-before-seen footage from the set, introduced as evidence during the Gutierrez-Reed trial, showed clip after clip of Baldwin arrogantly handling weapons. For example, he barks orders to his crew to reload quickly and, in another clip, he uses a gun as a “pointer” to move cast and crew. And the jury may also see the findings for Halls and Gutierrez-Reed as a basis for believing this was more than just a tragic accident, legal experts say.

Since the incident just over two years ago, Baldwin has been free on bail and has not shied away from the spotlight. In a tearful interview just weeks later, he told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos he did not pull the trigger and has maintained that position – and his innocence – ever since. And Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria, who have seven children together, announced last month that they will premiere a new reality series called “The Baldwins” on TLC sometime in 2025.

Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday. The trial is expected to last two weeks or more. Baldwin, who is expected in court daily, faces up to 18 months in prison and possible fines. He also faces several civil cases in California and New Mexico.