Alec Baldwin’s "Rust" Shooting Trial to Begin in July

The trial of Alec Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter charges over the fatal Rust on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in late 2021, will begin on July 9, a judge in Santa Fe, N.M., ruled Monday.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin that day and the testimony will begin the following day. The trial is scheduled to last eight days, concluding on July 19.

Baldwin’s attorneys, led by Alex Spiro, wanted to begin the trial a month earlier, on June 13, indicating at a hearing last week that the actor was eager to have the case heard as soon as possible.

“Mr. Baldwin has been dealing with this for several years,” Spiro said. “We’re asking for a speedy trial.”

Prosecutor Kari Morrissey, however, told the court that she would be busy in June with another trial and asked for a date in July or August.

Baldwin is accused of firing a live bullet from a Colt .45 revolver while preparing for a scene on October 21, 2021. Hutchins, the cinematographer, was killed, while the film's director Joel Souza was wounded. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger and claimed that he was told the gun was “cold” before the rehearsal started. 

If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison. Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury on January 19. He was both the lead actor and a producer of the pic. 

According to his defense lawyer, prosecutors are attempting to hold him responsible as a producer for the unsafe set. At the hearing, Spiro said he would seek to have that portion of the case thrown out before trial.

“There is a theory that by being the creative producer, he also has criminal liability. We don’t think that will withstand scrutiny,” Spiro said.

Workplace safety investigators concluded that Baldwin did not have management authority on set, except over his assistant. At the hearing, Spiro said the case could be tried “rather quickly, in terms of the number of days necessary.”

Spiro added that he would file a motion to throw out the indictment, arguing that certain judicial orders were violated during the grand jury proceeding.

Moreover, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, is currently on trial in Santa Fe on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. Prosecutors have alleged that she was “sloppy” and “unprofessional” on set and that her failure to follow safety protocols led to Hutchins’ death.