Alec Baldwin to stand trial for ‘Rust’ shooting this summer
After an extended period of waiting for a trial date, actor Alec Baldwin has discovered he is set to face the stand over an involuntary manslaughter charge in July.
The case is linked to the tragic story surrounding the film Rust. While making the Western movie in 2021, Baldwin had fired one of the prop pistols that happened to be loaded with real bullets, leading to the death of cinematographer Haleyna Hutchins on set.
A scheduling order was entered calling for a jury selection beginning on July 9th, 2024, with the trial to commence the following day. If convicted, Baldwin is expected to spend up to eight months for manslaughter.
Pleading not guilty, the actor had stated that he had not pulled the trigger during the fateful shooting, with the analysis claiming that “the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver”.
Outside of the charges lobbied against the actor, prosecutors are also calling armoured Hannah Gutierrez-Reed into question for supplying the deadly props. She is currently on trial for involuntary manslaughter as well as tampering with the evidence after the shot took place.
During the first day of her trial, the prosecution argued that Gutierrez-Reed had not paid attention to proper safety guidelines when working on the film, stating, “The defendant treated the safety protocols as if they were optional rather than as if people’s lives counted on her doing her job correctly…The decision she made that day contributed to Ms. Hutchins’ death”.
In the lead-up to his trial, Baldwin has been allowed to walk free, provided that he does not leave the country, consume any alcohol, or possess any firearms during the interim period. During this time, SAG-AFTRA has also released a statement in support of the actor, arguing that it was not his job to be an expert in the firearms they were using.
Baldwin hasn’t appeared onscreen since 2023’s Billie’s Magic World.
This is a developing story.
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