Prosecutors are building their case Thursday against actor Alec Baldwin, who is on trial in New Mexico, accused of involuntary manslaughter in the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Both the prosecution and the defense completed their opening statements Wednesday in the Santa Fe courtroom of Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who also oversaw the trial of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment earlier this year.
Ross D. Franklin / AP
The case stems from the 2021 on-set shooting of Hutchins, who died at the hospital after being shot with a .45-caliber revolver held by Baldwin in a small church on Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location near Santa Fe, during a rehearsal.
Baldwin, who has pleaded not guilty, has said he pulled the hammer but did not pull the trigger.
Thursday’s testimony is expected to begin with the defense cross-examination of Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician who photographed evidence, the fourth law enforcement witness called by prosecutors as they argue the movie set was an unsafe work environment where safety rules were ignored, including and encouraged by Baldwin. The defense argued in its opening statement that Baldwin was on-set as an actor, and it was the armorer who loaded the gun, not Baldwin.
Baldwin, who was joined in the courtroom Wednesday by his wife, Hilaria Baldwin; his brother, actor Stephen Baldwin; and his sister Beth Keuchler, is expected to be in the courtroom each day of the trial, which is scheduled through July 19. Trial is expected to resume Thursday at 8:30 a.m. MDT, 10:30 EDT, with breaks at 10:30 a.m. local time, for lunch, and again at 3:30 p.m. local time.
Elise Preston, Kathleen Seccombe and Elizabeth Campbell contributed to this report.