OAN’s Abril Elfi
11:45 AM – Tuesday, July 9, 2024
The jury selection process for actor Alec Baldwin’s trial surrounding the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who worked alongside him on the set of the Rust film, is scheduled to commence today.
Advertisement
Baldwin arrived at the first judicial court in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The jury selection was scheduled to begin early on Tuesday but was briefly delayed.
Nonetheless, the prosecution and defense stated that they expect to interview from a pool of 70 potential jurors and anticipate seating the final jury by the end of the day.
The 66-year-old actor and co-producer of the film failed in his most recent attempt to have the charges dropped on the grounds that the prosecution allegedly had permitted the destruction of “exculpatory evidence.”
The contentious case was allowed to continue after a judge last month determined that Baldwin’s legal team had not proven that the state prosecutors behaved dishonestly.
On October 21st, 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing for the upcoming western film at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, when he “accidentally pointed” what he had believed was an “unloaded” prop revolver at Hutchins. However, Baldwin, who could now spend up to 18 months in jail, says that the gun ended up being loaded and malfunctioned, firing a round.
He initially claimed that he merely pulled back the hammer, rather than pulling the trigger. Yet, Joel Souza, the film’s director, was badly injured, and Hutchins was killed instantly in the incident.
In the ongoing case, there has been much confusion and accusations of lying, with firearm experts and social media users on X (Twitter) maintaining that it is hard to believe that Baldwin shot the gun twice “on accident.” Meanwhile, Baldwin is fully placing blame on the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, as she was in charge of the movie set’s weapons and prop guns.
It is anticipated that Baldwin’s legal team will continue to point the finger at Gutierrez-Reed while attempting to argue that the actor “did not pull” the trigger. Prosecutors initially dropped Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charges last year, citing a need for additional time to examine the evidence.
However, the trial is now proceeding as prosecutors had recently discovered more evidence to support their case against Baldwin.
Prosecutors stated that an additional forensic examination of the firearm proved that Baldwin was in fact the one who pulled the trigger, leading to a second charge against him.
Baldwin’s team has still continuously questioned the prosecutors’ ordered investigation of the firearm. The gun was “struck and damaged” during the FBI’s initial testing to determine whether it could have accidentally discharged. Damaged parts were replaced after a forensic analysis.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts