Hollywood star Alec Baldwin (66) is scheduled to go on trial on July 9th in the US state of New Mexico. It’s about the fatal shooting of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (1979-2021), which occurred on the set of the western “Rust”. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s master-at-arms, was found guilty in March of neglecting her duty of supervision on set and contributing to Hutchins’ death. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison without parole. But will the trial against lead actor and producer Baldwin even start?
According to a report in the US magazine “Deadline”, Alec Baldwin’s lawyers again made serious allegations against the New Mexico prosecutor’s office yesterday, May 17, in a hearing before the trial began. It had already been criticized in the past that witnesses whose statements ultimately led to Baldwin’s indictment were heavily biased. The actor is also said not to have been responsible for checking the weapon that ultimately killed Hutchins.
The public prosecutor’s office contradicted this representation in yesterday’s hearing. “The defense wants to somehow convince the court that the actor holding a real gun bears absolutely no responsibility for what he does with that gun. And that’s simply not the case,” said special prosecutor Kari Morrissey .
The judge responsible then stated that she would announce her decision to dismiss the charges against Baldwin next week. Like the previously convicted Armsmaster Gutierrez-Reed, the star faces 18 months behind bars and a hefty fine if he is convicted at his own trial. In addition, Baldwin is also facing around half a dozen civil lawsuits in connection with the “Rust” tragedy.