Live Updates: Alec Baldwin's Trial For Death Of 'Rust' Cinematographer Begins

Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter began on Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the indie western “Rust.”

Hutchins died in October 2021 after a prop gun Baldwin was handling during rehearsal went off. The bullet killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

The “30 Rock” actor, who was also the producer of “Rust,” entered a not guilty plea after he was recharged in January. Baldwin was first charged in January 2023, but the prosecution dismissed that case in April 2023, citing a delay in forensic analysis.

Film set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the person responsible with overseeing the production’s weapons for the cast and crew, received the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison earlier this year, after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Though he hasn’t explicitly blamed Gutierrez-Reed for the on-set fatality, Baldwin has adamantly denied pulling the trigger of the gun in public statements and interviews.

“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” Baldwin told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in 2021. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

The prosecution claims Baldwin was nonetheless negligent in his handling of the firearm and therefore should be held responsible.

Though the actor’s legal team made several attempts to have the controversial case dismissed, late last month Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled the trial will go on as planned.

Jury selection commenced on Tuesday, marking the start of the second trial stemming from the fatal 2021 shooting.

If the prosecution and defending lawyers are able to