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A dozen people were inside a movie set church the day Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza during a rehearsal for the Western film „Rust.“
Now, almost three years later and after countless hearings and much legal wrangling, Baldwin is standing trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Some of those who were inside the church that fateful day in 2021 are expected to testify.
The witness list also includes numerous investigators, firearms experts and likely the film’s armorer – who is appealing a conviction for her role in the shooting.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, has claimed the gun fired accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins, who was behind the camera. Unaware that it was loaded with a live round, he said he pulled back the hammer – not the trigger – and it fired.
Prosecutors plan to present evidence that the gun’s trigger had to be pulled. They have said Baldwin shares responsibility for what happened that day.
Here’s a look at the key players in the criminal trial of an actor who has been a TV and movie mainstay for decades:The defendant
Alec Baldwin – Known for his roles in the early blockbuster „The Hunt for Red October“, Martin Scorsese’s „The Departed“ and the sitcom „30 Rock“, Baldwin’s career has spanned more than four decades and has included other gun-toting roles. Baldwin has twice been charged in Hutchins‘ death. Prosecutors dismissed an earlier charge, then revived it through a grand jury after receiving a new analysis of the revolver he pointed at Hutchins. An indictment alleges Baldwin caused Hutchins‘ death – either by negligence or „total disregard or indifference“ for safety. He has pleaded not guilty.Witnesses
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed – The stepdaughter of renowned sharpshooter and weapons consultant Thell Reed, Gutierrez-Reed was 24 at the time of the deadly rehearsal. „Rust“ was her second assignment as an armorer in a feature film. Her attorneys argued that she was scapegoated, pointing to safety concerns that went beyond their client. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison on an involuntary manslaughter conviction, which she’s appealing. At sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed said she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having „proper time, resources and staffing.
