Actor Alec Baldwin may not be on trial yet, but he’s being mentioned a lot as the trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s “Rust” shield begins on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
On Wednesday, a jury of seven men and five women was selected to hear the state’s case against New Shields, in which he has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Although Alec Baldwin, not Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, held the gun in question, prosecutors allege that Gutierrez-Reed was the one who brought the live ammunition to set and mistakenly loaded the gun with live ammunition when he was, allegedly, drunk.
Prosecutors have also charged him with tampering with evidence after they claim a witness told them he transferred bags of cocaine to them on the day Hutchins was killed, hampering the police investigation. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Opening Statements Begin In Case Against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s ‘Rusty’ Shield
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Thursday’s trial began with the prosecution claiming that the armor “Rust” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was “negligent” on the set when Halyna Hutchins was killed on October 21, 2021. “We intend to call several witnesses to testify that she always failed to properly carry out her duties as armor,” said special prosecutor Jason Lewis, as per Deadline.
Going on to describe his behavior on set as “unprofessional and sloppy,” Lewis showed Santa Fe jurors a photo of a long-barreled Colt pistol before adding, “You will hear testimony that [Gutierrez-Reed] always leaving guns and ammunition strewn around the set unattended and his gun safes and ammunition carts always out of order.”
However, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, told jurors that his client was only being used as a “scapegoat” and that Hutchins’ death was an unfortunate accident that did not warrant criminal charges. “Just because there’s a tragedy doesn’t mean a crime has been committed,” Jason Bowles told jurors. “It doesn’t mean that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed caused the crime they charged her with.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s Lawyer Says Armorer Is ‘Easy Target’ For Prosecutors
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He accused prosecutors of “trying to blame everything on Hannah […] because he was an easy target” and referred to him as “the most powerless person in the set.” He then referred to an OSHA report from April 2022, in which the New Mexico Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health slapped Rust Movie Productions LLC with a maximum fine of $136,793 for “deliberate and serious” security breaches found on Western film sets.
“It’s not Ms. Gutierrez-Reed; it was Mr. Baldwin,” Bowles told jurors, adding, “You’re going to hear again Mr. Baldwin — one of the main producers, the main actor on the movie, who really controlled the set — you’re going to hear him break some gun safety rules the most basic thing you’ll ever learn.”
“From a young age, we all learn you don’t point a gun at someone unless you want to shoot them. You treat all guns as loaded, and you keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire. He violated all of that,” Bowles continued, although Alec Baldwin is not expected to be called as a witness in this case.
Alec Baldwin Will Face His Own Trial Later This Year
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In January 2023, both Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Alec Baldwin were charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. However, in the spring of 2023, charges against the “30 Rock” actor were dropped pending further investigation into the weapon. In January 2024, charges against Baldwin were refiled. The actor entered a not guilty plea on January 31. According to court documents released by the state of New Mexico, the last day to file a change plea is July 22, 2024. However, that could change.
Although he was originally scheduled to appear in court on August 6, 2024, the trial date has been moved to another yet to be determined date. On Tuesday, February 20, Baldwin’s attorney appeared at a hearing with prosecutors and the judge to set a new trial start date; however, they could not reach a consensus.
As part of the conditions of his release, Baldwin is not allowed to drink alcohol or do any drugs. He is also not allowed to possess any firearms or weapons and must obey all state, local and federal laws. He probably didn’t discuss the “Rust” incident with those he worked with on set; however, he was allowed to maintain contact with them as it pertains to the movie “Rust” which wrapped filming last spring. A release date has yet to be announced.
Halyna Hutchins’ Family Speaks Out As Trial Begins
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Attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing Halyna Hutchins’ mother, father and younger sister in a civil suit against the producers of “Rust” spoke Thursday evening after the start of the trial.
“Today is a victory for Halyna’s family. At today’s hearing in our civil case, the Court affirmed the obvious – that grieving families have the right to pursue loss of consortium damages related to the death of their loved ones under New Mexico law – which will be enforced in California courts against Baldwin and Rust the producer,” he said in his statement.
“Based on today’s decision, we accept the opportunity to amend our complaint to provide more facts about the truth, that the relationship between Halyna and her family has always been the kind of close and mutually beneficial relationship recognized under New Mexico law,” he continued. . “The statement made on behalf of Alec Baldwin by his lawyer in an attempt to refute the legal claims of Halyna’s mother, father and sister that Halyna’s family was ‘estranged from Halyna’ for years before he shot and killed her is disgraceful and completely baseless. . We are confident that the Court will recognize the great loss of Halyna’s parents and younger sister caused by Halyna’s murder on October 21, 2021.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
