Alec Baldwin: Jurors sworn in for involuntary manslaughter trial over fatal Rust shooting
Sixteen jurors will hear opening arguments for Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico on Wednesday.
Five men and 11 women were chosen by prosecutors and the actor's team of defence attorneys over the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western film Rust in October 2021.
Twelve will be designated as the jury and four as alternates by the court only after they hear the case.
The 66-year-old could get up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
A revolver Baldwin was pointing at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza during rehearsals.
Baldwin, who was pictured on Tuesday arriving in court ahead of the trial starting, has said the gun fired accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins, who was behind the camera.
The 30 Rock star said he was unaware the gun contained a live round, and that he pulled back the hammer, not the trigger, and it fired.
Prosecutors say they'll present evidence that Baldwin went "off script" and failed to follow basic industry standards for firearms safety when he pointed the firearm at Hutchins.
Baldwin attorney Alex Spiro probed prospective jurors on Tuesday for strong opinions about gun safety and asked whether a person must entirely take responsibility for whether a gun is loaded.
Most who answered said they always treat a gun as if it were loaded.
Prior court testimony confirmed two gun misfires on set before the fatal shooting amid other health and safety concerns.
In mitigation, Baldwin’s defence have highlighted that the armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is serving an 18-month prison sentence on a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April 2023, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.
A more recent analysis of the gun commissioned by prosecutors concluded the "trigger had to be pulled."
But defence lawyers argue that destructive testing of the gun by the FBI that broke pieces of the firing mechanism may have destroyed evidence that could possibly exonerate Baldwin.
