The Prosecutor’s Office resumes the ‘Rust’ case three years after the Halyna Hutchins’ death in New Mexico. In this first day of trial in which Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of the director of photography of the filmthe attendees have relived the last minutes of the life of Hutchins, 42, thanks to the evidence provided by the prosecution in the case.
Among these tests is The video recorded by the police on the day of the incident at the Bonanza Creek ranchthe filming set for the movie ‘Rust’ in October 2021, in addition to the recording of the 911 call which was produced asking for help after the fatal accident.
During the first arguments, the Prosecutor’s Office has finished accusing Alec Baldwin of being “reckless” and violating “fundamental rules” on the set of the filming. The defense, for its part, has chosen to delegate responsibility to other members of the team.
Prosecutors opened their main arguments by focusing on the actor’s responsibility to follow safety protocols on the set, accusing him of violating them. “The evidence will show, ladies and gentlemen, that as in many workplaces, there are people who act recklessly,” special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson told the jury in the case.
He also assured that one of the “biggest problems” of what happened in October 2021 was that Baldwin “failed to follow safety protocols” and acted with “indifference and negligence.” Meanwhile, Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, began his arguments by declaring that the actor “did not commit any crime.”
The defense accuses the rest of the ‘Rust’ team
Spiro has tried to show the jury that the actor was only doing his job as an actor, placing the final responsibility on the team in charge of preparing the weapons:”Actors rely on gunsmiths, aim and fire guns.” To do this, he provided names and divided the responsibility between ammunition supplier Seth Kennedy; prop master Sarah Zachry; gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls, who has already been sentenced to six months’ probation, as well as gunsmith Gutierrez-Reed, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Accompanied by his wife Hilaria and his brother Stephen, Baldwin spent the nearly eight hours of Wednesday’s session sitting between his lawyers and without making much of a facial expression, dressed in a dark suit, a pink shirt, a wine-colored tie and thick-rimmed glasses.
Among the first witnesses to give testimony was Nicholas LeFleur, Police Department Officer from Santa Fe County who arrived on set after the 2021 accident, who said that although he could not “know people’s intentions,” saw Baldwin “shocked and sad” after the shooting.
He also said he thought he heard a team member state that Baldwin had “pulled the trigger”something that the actor has denied on numerous occasions and that the Prosecutor’s Office has insisted on proving, even pointing out that the FBI carried out 12 tests on the weapon that determined that the only way in which the weapon could have been discharged was by pulling the trigger.
However, Spiro took the opportunity to remind that “even if he pulled the trigger,” the actor would still be innocent. “On a film set, it is allowed to pull the trigger (…) Even if he pulled the trigger intentionally… that does not make him guilty of murder,” the lawyer pointed out.
If convicted, Baldwin could face 18 months in prison. The trial is scheduled end on July 19 and testimony is still awaited from the director of the film ‘Rust’, Joel Souza, or from the manufacturer of the weapon, Alessandro Pietta, who will travel from Italy to testify.
Source: Lasexta
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