LOS ANGELES.–Actor Alec Baldwin, 66, faces trial for the Oct. 21, 2021 killing of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins at the Bonanza Creek Ranch [20 miles south of Santa Fe] filming the movie “Rust” with a revolver supplied by film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Reed gave Baldwin a revolver with a live round in the chamber that went off and killed Hutchins. Gutierrez Reed was tried and convicted March 6, 2024 of involuntary manslaughter for supplying Baldwin with prop gun with live ammunition. Gutierrez-Reed currently serves an 18-month sentence for her role in supplying the gun to Baldwin. Baldwin insists he did not pull the trigger instead claimed he pulled back the hammer and it accidentally discharged the revolver killing Hutchins. Santa Fe’s District Attorney decided to try Baldwin after initially deciding to not press charges in 2023.
Baldwin’s role in Hutchin’s accidental death was clear because he was the one holding the revolver when it went off. With first Assistant Director David Halls pleading guilty Jan. 23, 2023 to one count of negligent use of a firearm, it was a matter of time before the Sana Fe DA decided to try Baldwin for the same charge as armorer Gutierrez-Reed, convicted March 6, 2024 of involuntary manslaughter. It made no sense to prosecutors that the one who allegedly discharged the revolver killing Hutchins would not face at least the same charges as Gutierrez-Reed. Baldwin’s trial is due to start with jury selection Tuesday, July 9. Baldwin told ABC News George Stephanopoulos Dec. 1, 2021, six-weeks after the incident in an exclusive interview that he did not pull the trigger. Santa Fe prosecutors intend to show that Baldwin did, in fact, pull the trigger killing Hutchins.
Baldwin brought out the big guns to Santa Fe hiring New York-based law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, whose 41-year-old lead defense attorney Alex Spiro has already defended Elon Musk and Megan Three Stallion. Baldwin’s defense revolves around his role as a actor/producer in “Rust” having no real involvement with firearms until handed the revolver by armorer Hannah Gutierrrez-Reed, already convicted of manslaughter March 6, 2024, prompting the Santa Fe DA to move forward with manslaughter charges against Baldwin knowing he was the one handling the revolver when Hutchin’s was shot-and-killed Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin’s previous statements could come back to bite him, knowing that he’s already admitted to pulling back the hammer and accidentally discharging the firearm. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, something contradicted by FBI ballistic experts.
FBI ballistic experts will return again to Baldwin’s upcoming trial to testify that the gun could not have discharged without the trigger pulled by Baldwin. So, when it comes to the involuntary manslaughter charge, it’s going to be difficult for Baldwin to continue denying that he pulled the trigger. But unlike Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for safely maintaining the firearm on set, Baldwin can still claim to a jury that he had no idea the gun was loaded or had a live round in the chamber. Jurors won’t have a problem believing that Baldwin trusted that Gutierrez-Reed did her job of assuring that the revolver was neutralized, safe for use on any movie set. Baldwin’s Union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, supports Baldwin’s position that he was not responsible for the firearm certified by the Rust armorer, Gutierrez-Reed.
Baldwin’s attorney plans on going after the FBI for tampering with the revolver’s operations, knowing that reports about the gun’s operation have been permanently altered. Baldwin thinks the jury will hear from his defense team that the gun evaluated by the FBI was permanently altered to suit their team’s legal theory that the gun was discharged without pulling the trigger. Baldwin hopes to prove in court that he had nothing to do with Hutchin’s death even though members of the Rust staff testified they saw Alec holding the gun at the time the bullet discharged and killed Hutchins. Baldwin’s defense team wants to show that Hutchins was not given proper medical care following the shooting, resulting in her death. Prosecutors plan to show the jury that as the most prominent member of Rust team, Baldwin must stand accountable for mishaps on the set.
Baldwin faces an uphill battle getting completely off the hook for discharging the firearm Oct. 21, 2021 that shot-and-killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin’s Dec. 1, 2021 ABC News interview put on the record that he did not pull the trigger, opening up a can of worms. FBI ballistic experts already analyzing the revolver already determined that Baldwin could not have pulled back the hammer and discharged the weapon without pulling the trigger. Zac Sneesby, a boom microphone operator on the set at the time the firearm went already put on record that he saw Baldwin pull the trigger. So, whether the Santa Fe DA can prove involuntary manslaughter, they should get Baldwin on at least negligent operation of a firearm, giving all the extenuating circumstances, included Gutierrez handing him a firearm certified as having no live round the revolver’s chamber.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
