Alec Baldwin’s Involuntary Manslaughter Trial Set for July
By Movieguide® Contributor
Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial will begin in July.
In 2021, Baldwin killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza after discharging a gun during rehearsal for RUST.
The actor could serve anywhere from 18 months to three years in prison and pay up to $5,000 in fines.
Per Deadline, “Initially charged in January 2022 along with ex–RUST armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Baldwin saw the claims against him trimmed back and then dropped altogether in April that year. In what was a widely expected Grand Jury indictment one year to the day of the first charges, Baldwin was charged anew on January 19 of this year.”
Furthermore, following the selection for Baldwin’s trial date, dolly grip Ross Addiego testified on Monday in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial.
Addiego claimed that the production of the film was “moving at ludicrous speeds” so that they could “complete a very ambitious schedule.”
However, he also testified against Gutierrez-Reed, claiming, “She wasn’t necessarily as serious or professional as I am accustomed to with the other armorers that I’m familiar with. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an armorer pull loose ammo out of a fanny pack.”
FOX News Digital reported how Addiego described that horrific day on set: “I think Alec had drawn it once to kind of audition what his action should be for Joel [Souza] and, and then he drew it again. And, um, it went off, and you know, instantly…I mean a firearm went off in a small wooden church. So the concussion, ears ringing, that moment of panic in everybody.”
“I think the first person I made eye contact with was…was Halyna, who was clearly injured by whatever that gunshot was. That noise we had just heard,” Addiego said, fighting tears.
“And in fact, she was starting to go flush, and I think holding her right side,” he continued. “Then I think that Joel let out some sort of scream or, made some noise that, you know, to indicate he was also injured and I think my attention just went to Joel because he was the closest to me.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Gutierrez-Reed’s trial:
Opening statements of the involuntary manslaughter case against RUST’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed occurred at the end of last week, citing her sloppiness as the reason for the accident.
“The defendant treated the safety protocols as if they were optional rather than if people’s lives counted on her doing her job correctly,” prosecutor Jason Lewis said in his opening statement. “By failing to make those vital safety checks, the defendant acted negligently and without due caution. The decision she made that day contributed to Ms. Hutchins’ death.”
The movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was killed when Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun that he was given during the blocking of a scene in October 2021. The movie’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured during the accident, receiving a bullet to the shoulder.
NBC reported, “The case centers on how a live round of ammunition found its way onto the film’s set and into the gun held by Baldwin. Although Baldwin maintains he did not pull the trigger, the gun fired a bullet.”
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