Live updates from court, testimony

With Alec Baldwin‘s manslaughter trial In New Mexico, a jury is hearing arguments for and against the actor, Who is accused? bear some responsibility for the death of his film’s 42-year-old director of photography in a incident on the set in 2021.

After 12 jurors and four alternates (11 women and five men) were selected Tuesday, the courtroom heard opening arguments Wednesday.

Baldwin, 66, has pleaded not guilty The actor was acquitted of the charges and remains free on parole. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison.

The trial will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, over eight days, from July 10 to 19.

Day 2: Witness testifies that live ammunition was found on the set of ‘Rust’

Four witnesses were called to the stand on the second day of the trial.

Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, testified that her team found several live rounds on the New Mexico set of “Rust,” including in the holsters worn by Baldwin and co-star Jensen Ackles, as well as in a prop cart and an ammunition box. However, no live rounds were found in the production’s prop truck, she said.

Asked by Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, about the search of the warehouse of prop supplier PDQ Arm and Prop in Albuquerque after Hutchins’ death, Poppell said they didn’t check every box and she wasn’t sure if they found all the live ammunition in the building.

He said police conducted a “reasonable” search given they had three officers to cover the premises, which had some rooms crammed to the ceiling with cardboard and plastic boxes.

Day One: Alec Baldwin acted like ‘any other actor’, prosecutors say he asked for ‘most powerful weapon’

During the first day of Baldwin’s trial, his wife Hilaria Baldwin and brother Stephen Baldwin sat behind the actor as opening statements took place. Renowned attorney Gloria Allred was also in the courtroom gallery representing Hutchins’ family.

“It was obviously a tragic accident, but Alec did not commit any murder,” Baldwin’s attorney, Spiro, said in his opening statements, emphasizing Baldwin’s role as an actor.

“Alec took the gun from his insurance agents. He didn’t tamper with it. He didn’t load it himself. He didn’t leave it unattended. He completed his costume and his character. It was an actor who manipulated a prop and integrated it into Harlan Rust’s character.”

Spiro largely blamed gunsmith “Rust” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and first assistant director Dave Halls Alleged negligence. “There were people responsible for gun safety, but actor Alec Baldwin did not commit any crime,” Spiro said.

Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson said during opening statements: “The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin.”

Johnson also alleged that Baldwin “requested to be assigned the largest gun available” for the production.

What happened during the filming of ‘Rust’?

On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was pointing a gun at Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film Western when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. The tragedy marked the first shooting death on a Hollywood set in three decades.

Baldwin, also a producer of the film, claimed that he had pulled the hammer (but not the trigger) and that the gun had gone off.

A combination of “negligence and inexperience” by gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, and Baldwin’s “complete lack of concern for the safety of those around him” on the set contributed to the death of Hutchins, 42, prosecutors said.

In March, a jury Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. She has appealed the conviction.

In 2023, deputy director Halls pleaded He pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon and unsafe handling of a firearm. He received a six-month suspended sentence with unsupervised probation.

Contributors: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; Andrew Hay, Reuters