The Biggest Bombshells From Alec Baldwin's Rust Shooting Trial for Involuntary Manslaughter

Alec Baldwin's day in court has arrived.

The 66-year-old has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the Oct. 21, 2021, death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally wounded by a live round discharged from a prop gun Baldwin was rehearsing with on the set of the period western Rust.

The trial was due to get underway with jury selection July 9 at the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico in Santa Fe and is expected to last about two weeks.

Baldwin has maintained that he was told the gun he was handed contained no live rounds and that he did not pull the trigger.

"I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never," Baldwin told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired Dec. 1, 2021. He said he had "no idea" how a live bullet ended up in the gun, let alone "a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property."

The shooting occurred at 1:46 p.m. at Bonanza Creek Ranch, about 20 miles southeast of Santa Fe, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office. Hutchins, 42, was hit in the chest and airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead.

The bullet that killed her also struck the film's director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. The 51-year-old was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for treatment and released later that evening, per the New York Times.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, the daughter of a veteran Hollywood weapons expert who was serving as the armorer on the Rust set, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter (and not guilty of evidence tampering) in March. She was sentenced to the maximum possible, 18 months in jail, on April 15.

Her attorneys appealed her conviction in May, as well as filed to have her released from jail while the process played out, arguing in their motion that Gutierrez-Reed—who pleaded not guilty at trial—was "not a danger to the community or a flight risk."

Baldwin is facing the same possible 18-month sentence if convicted. It's unclear how a guilty verdict would affect production on The Baldwins, the reality show TLC announced for 2025 starring the Emmy winner, his wife Hilaria Baldwin and their seven children.

The 30 Rock alum was first charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement in January 2023. But then District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies resigned from the case in March and appointed two special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis.

They dropped the case that April, noting in a statement that the move did not "absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability" and the charges could be refiled.

Sure enough, the pair brought the case to a Santa Fe grand jury this past January and the panel returned with an indictment for involuntary manslaughter.

Ahead of jury selection, Baldwin appeared in court for a July 8 hearing, during which his lawyers successfully argued that the prosecution shouldn't be allowed to allege at trial that the actor had greater culpability for Hutchins' death because he was also a producer on the film.

First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer—who on June 28 rejected the defense's motion to dismiss the case—ruled in Baldwin's favor. She also limited what sort of video evidence prosecutors could introduce, allowing clips demonstrating how Baldwin handled weapons on set but restricting videos unrelated to firearm usage.  

"Everything else regarding him yelling at the crew or telling people to hurry up," Sommer said in court, per the New York Times, "none of that is relevant."

Opening arguments are expected to begin July 10. The defense has not said whether Baldwin plans to testify during the trial.

This story will be updated as the trial continues

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