Alec Baldwin has gone from a movie role to a murder trial.
As a four-decade veteran of Hollywood, he is accustomed to the media glare, but this trial is putting him under the spotlight and a level of scrutiny that is completely unfamiliar to him.
As I walked to the Santa Fe courthouse, New Mexico, Baldwin He was surrounded by television cameras.
He remained silent while the journalists asked him a series of questions. How was she feeling? Would he be a free man in a fortnight? Are you worried about going to prison? Was he responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins?
This last is the central question that the jury will consider during the next two weeks.
It is not disputed that Ms. Hutchins was killed by a live bullet fired from a gun he pointed at her.
But the prosecution and defense present starkly different narratives about what happened and why.
The state of New Mexico says Baldwin showed a ‘reckless disregard’ for gun safetywhile the defense maintains that he followed industry protocol and could not have imagined there would be real bullets on the set.
Alec Baldwin entered the courtroom on the second floor of the First Judicial District Court along with his wife Hilaria, mother of seven of his children.
She took a seat in the front row of the public gallery, while her husband sat in the dock, flanked by his two defense attorneys.
Hilaria Baldwin and the actor’s brother Stephen (left) were in court. Photo: AP
Actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin leave court. Photo: AP
He was elegantly dressed in a dark suit, patterned tie, and thick-rimmed glasses. He listened attentively throughout the proceedings, looking somber as the court was shown body camera video of the frantic efforts to save the life of Ms. Hutchins, a rising star in the world of filmmaking.
Baldwin’s actor brother, Stephen, and sister, Beth, were also in court and could be seen talking to their brother during morning and lunch breaks in the hearing.
Footage showed Baldwin on set speaking with assistant director Dave Halls after the shooting.
Erlinda Johnson, for the prosecution, began her opening statement by showing a photograph of Halyna Hutchins on the evidence television screen.
She could be seen smiling as the sun set over the Bonanza Creek ranch, with a wooden film of a church behind her. It was inside that building, days later, where she was shot to death. Prosecutors maintain that Baldwin is partly to blame.
“The evidence will show, ladies and gentlemen,” Ms. Johnson said, “that, as in many workplaces, there are people who act recklessly and put other people in danger and act without due regard for the safety of others. As you may know, the defendant, Alexander Baldwin, was the lead actor in this film.”
Two months after the October 2021 tragedy that left Halyna Hutchins dead, Alec Baldwin gave an interview to ABC in which he denied pulling the trigger of the gun.
His defense attorney, in his opening statement, appeared to be preparing to retract that statement.
Alex Spiro said: “On a movie set you are allowed to pull the trigger, so even if he pulled the trigger as the prosecution showed, that doesn’t make him guilty of murder. He didn’t know and he had no reason.” knowing that that gun was loaded with a real bullet.
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The trial is expected to last eight days, not including jury deliberations.
One question hanging over the proceedings is whether Baldwin himself will take the stand.
It would add some Hollywood drama to the proceedings, but it is a potentially risky move for the defense.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
