OAN’s James Meyers
3:12 PM – Wednesday, February 21, 2024
The trial for Alec Baldwin’s film Rust, which will highlight how the movie’s cinematographer was fatally shot in 2021, has begun the jury selection process.
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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was killed after suffering injuries when she was hit by a live round fired from a gun Baldwin was holding.
Additionally, the director, Joel Souza, was wounded in the incident.
Before Baldwin’s case begins, Gutierrez-Reed’s trial began on Wednesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Baldwin has also pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case.
The process for selecting 12 jurors began with a choice from 70 residents from the Santa Fe area, which included non-English speakers, a welder, a teacher, a graduate student and a mother of six. A prosecutor on the case posed questions to the potential jurors about their exposure to intensive media coverage and social media publicity surrounding the case.
Prosecutors are anticipated to present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed loaded a live round into the firearm that would later kill Hutchins. Bringing live ammunition onto a movie set is prohibited. They will also most likely claim that the armorer missed opportunities to ensure safety on the set.
However, defense attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed claim they have evidence that will prove their client’s innocence.
Opening arguments are scheduled for Thursday in a trial that is expected to last around two weeks.
If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Gutierrez could face a prison sentence of up to 18 months. As for criminal charges against Baldwin, there have been a number of setbacks.
Initial manslaughter charges were dropped in April last year, due to what prosecutors called “new facts” that demanded “further investigation and forensic analysis.”
However, a grand jury late last year handed down a new indictment. In January, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the new indictment of involuntary manslaughter charges.
Additionally, Baldwin has repeatedly denied responsibility for the incident, claiming that he did not pull the trigger. Baldwin went on to blame his movie set staff for their own alleged negligence, and he asserted that the film industry professionals around him had failed to ensure that the props were safe.
Meanwhile, a trial date still has still not been set, and no release date has been announced for the movie. Baldwin remains free on bail.
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