A New Mexico judge is preparing for the upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin. The trial stems from a fatal shooting on the set of a Western movie.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer will review various requests from both prosecutors and defense attorneys that could impact what evidence, testimony, and arguments are presented to the jury. The pretrial hearing is scheduled to take place in Santa Fe and is expected to last for most of the day.
During Monday’s court session, Baldwin was seated alongside a team of four legal professionals. He was seen flipping through papers, wearing glasses and sporting close-cropped hair.
Positioned between lead attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, Baldwin had a yellow legal pad in front of him.
The trial is set to commence on July 9 with jury selection and is anticipated to span 10 days.
Prior to this, the judge approved crucial firearms experts for the prosecution to testify about Baldwin’s handling of the revolver and the gun’s condition before the tragic incident.
While the defense team looks to exclude Baldwin’s role as a co-producer on “Rust,” arguing its irrelevance to the allegations of negligence, prosecutors believe it played a part in his alleged reckless behavior. They argue that Baldwin’s authority as a producer may have encouraged him to disregard safety protocols.
There is a dispute between the defense team and prosecutors regarding Baldwin’s contractual authority as a producer over the crew responsible for weapons and safety.
Prosecutors are pushing to bar a state workplace safety investigation, citing it as incomplete and untrustworthy. They argue that it should not be considered during the trial.
Baldwin is facing a single felony count of involuntary manslaughter, with a potential sentence of up to 18 months if convicted.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on set, has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The incident occurred in October 2021 during a rehearsal when Baldwin, following instructions, pointed the gun towards Hutchins who was behind the camera. Baldwin claims he was unaware the gun contained a live round and that the gun fired accidentally when he pulled back the hammer, not the trigger.
Baldwin’s attorneys are seeking to prevent any mention of actor Brandon Lee’s death from a previous incident, while prosecutors assert that Baldwin was aware of safety risks posed by guns regardless of live rounds being present.
Prosecutors are also looking to exclude certain evidence from trial, including crew members’ letter disputing the set conditions and safety investigation conclusions that place blame on assistant director Dave Halls.
The production company paid a fine to settle safety violations, but prosecutors argue that the investigation’s conclusions are unreliable.
Baldwin’s attorneys believe the report is admissible as evidence and want the state occupational safety officer to testify at trial.
Prosecutors also aim to prevent any accusations of misconduct and personal attacks, as well as arguments to evoke sympathy for Baldwin during the trial.
Additionally, they argue that such evidence has no relevance in determining guilt.
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