The trial against actor Alec Baldwin begins with the selection of jury members. But even before that, both the defense and the prosecutor have had some successes.
It was in October 2021 that Baldwin fired a shot that killed photographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during the filming of the movie "Rust". The weapon, which was supposed to be loaded with blank shots, turned out to be live. Alec Baldwin, who is charged with manslaughter, denies any wrongdoing.
On Monday, the day before the trial, Baldwin's defense team won a partial victory when they managed to get their view accepted that Baldwin's role as co-producer of the film is not relevant to the trial.
The prosecutors had hoped to argue that Baldwin, as co-producer, was also responsible for the film's safety. This would have allowed them to strengthen an alternative theory of guilt beyond his alleged negligent use of a firearm.
The prosecution also had successes on Monday. The prosecutor successfully argued to exclude the findings of a state workplace investigation that placed much of the blame on the film's assistant director instead of Baldwin.
The film's armorer, 24-year-old Hanna Gutierrez Reed, has previously been sentenced to one and a half years in prison for causing another's death. If the 66-year-old Baldwin is convicted, he also risks 18 months in prison.
