Baldwin is on trial over the tragic shooting on the “Rust” movie set; Santa Fe will be the base of the jury.
Starting on Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alec Baldwin, accused of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, is scheduled to be tried.
The choice of jurors signals the start of a case that has attracted a lot of interest, mostly due to its unique context and the famous status of the defendant.
Renowned for his parts in “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October,” Baldwin could spend up to eighteen months in prison should he be found guilty of the felony charges.
The event happened during a Western film “Rust” rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch and injured director Joel Souza.
The actor has claimed that the shooting was accidental, claiming that under direction to point the rifle towards Hutchins, the gun fired after he pulled back the hammer, not the trigger. This incident has spurred a more general discussion about film set safety protocols.
A preliminary hearing on Monday underlined the complexity of the case when Judge Mary Marlowe Summer decided that Baldwin’s co-producing on “Rust” has no bearing on the accusations of involuntary homicide.
For Baldwin’s defense, this choice is considered a major triumph.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey voiced doubts about the jury selection schedule and suggested possible delays resulting from the strategies of the defense team.
But Alex Spiro, Baldwin’s attorney, boldly said, “I have never not chosen a jury in one day. It seems impossible that this would be the first time.”
Expected to run nine days with jury deliberation following, the trial will go without cameras in the courtroom for the first jury selection to respect the privacy of potential jurors.
Standard practice in such trials, both the defense and the prosecution will have the chance to reject multiple jurors without citing a cause.
Both the public and the film business wait for the results of the legal procedures, which will probably have an impact much beyond the courtroom.