Alec Baldwin’s trial for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western Rust begins Tuesday, with heightened security.
The 66-year-old actor, who was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Monday for a pre-trial hearing, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins.
When the trial begins on Tuesday, there will be more security than usual, as a precaution for the high-profile trial, through TMZ.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila said there will be “additional deputies” working around the courthouse and surrounding areas.
While no specific figures were given on how much security will be increased, Baldwin’s presence throughout the 10-day trial will require additional security.
Security is set to be tightened as Alec Baldwin’s trial for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western Rust begins Tuesday.
The 66-year-old actor, who was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Monday for a pre-trial hearing, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins.
Baldwin has had more than his fair share of contentious encounters with photographers and fans, so increased security will be essential.
He added that media personnel and others trying to enter the court are not allowed to camp outside.
He said there is a daily protocol that must be followed before someone is admitted each morning during the trial.
Baldwin also scored an early victory at a pretrial hearing on Monday.
The judge ruled that prosecutors cannot introduce Baldwin’s role as a producer on the film into evidence.
That key element was reportedly crucial to the prosecution’s argument that his irresponsible behavior as a producer ultimately led to Hutchins’ death.
The producers argued that Baldwin was negligent with safety procedures in his role as executive producer, although this argument is now moot.
“I have serious difficulty with the state’s position of wanting to show that as a producer, he failed to follow the guidelines and therefore as an actor, Mr. Baldwin did all of these things wrong, resulting in the death of Halyna Hutchins because as a producer, he allowed all of this to happen,” the judge said at the hearing.
Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw maneuver with a revolver when the gun went off, striking both Rust director Joel Souza and cinematographer Hutchins.
The bullet hit Hutchins in the chest, passed through his body and hit Souza in the shoulder.
Hutchins was airlifted to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after in late October 2021.
Baldwin has maintained that he never pulled the trigger on the gun, although an FBI report stated that the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled.
Baldwin claimed he pulled the hammer of the gun – not the trigger – when the bullet was fired.
Baldwin has had more than his fair share of contentious encounters with photographers and fans, so increased security will be essential.
He added that media personnel and others trying to enter the courthouse are not allowed to camp outside.
He said there is a daily protocol that must be followed before someone is admitted each morning of trial.
Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw maneuver with a revolver when the gun went off, hitting both Rust director Joel Souza and cinematographer Hutchins.
The actor also maintained that he did not know there was live ammunition in the gun when the incident occurred.
Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison, though she is appealing the conviction.
Baldwin faces a single charge of involuntary manslaughter, which, if convicted, could also carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.
Production on the film was suspended after filming, set to resume in April 2023, concluding a month later, though no release date has been given for Rust.