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Baldwin 91Ƶwas an actor, acting91Ƶ defence says as shooting trial opens

Lawyer calls death on the film set of Rust an 91Ƶunspeakable tragedy91Ƶ but not a crime
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Prosecutor Kari Morrissey leaves court after jury selection in Actor Alec Baldwin91Ƶs involuntary manslaughter trial, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

A defense attorney told jurors Wednesday that the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was an 91Ƶunspeakable tragedy91Ƶ but that 91Ƶ committed no crime; he was an actor, acting.91Ƶ

Baldwin91Ƶs lawyer Alex Spiro emphasized in his opening statement in a Santa Fe, New Mexico, courtroom that Baldwin, who is on trial for involuntary manslaughter, did exactly what actors always do on the set of the film 91ƵRust,91Ƶ where Hutchins was killed in October, 2021.

91ƵI don91Ƶt have to tell you any more about this, because you91Ƶve all seen gunfights in movies,91Ƶ Spiro said.

Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson said in her opening statement that before the shooting, Baldwin skipped safety checks and recklessly handled a revolver.

91ƵThe evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin,91Ƶ Ocampo Johnson said.

Spiro replied that 91Ƶthese cardinal rules, they91Ƶre not cardinal rules on a movie set.91Ƶ

91ƵOn a movie set, safety has to occur before a gun is placed in an actor91Ƶs hand,91Ƶ Spiro told the jury.

The first witness to take the stand was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at Bonanza Creek Ranch after the shooting. Video shown in the courtroom from the body camera of Nicholas LeFleur, then a Santa Fe county sheriff91Ƶs deputy, captured the frantic efforts to save Hutchins, who looked unconscious as several people attended to her and gave her an oxygen mask. In the courtroom, Baldwin looked at the screen somberly as it played.

Later in the video, LeFleur can be seen telling Baldwin not to speak to the other potential witnesses, but Baldwin repeatedly does.

When special prosecutor Kari Morrissey asked whether the sheriff91Ƶs deputy handled the situation ideally he responded, 91ƵProbably not. But it91Ƶs what happened.91Ƶ

Spiro pressed LeFleur on why he left the word 91Ƶaccidental91Ƶ out of his description of the shooting call during his questioning by the prosecution. LeFleur said it was not intentional.

And LeFleur acknowledged that in a pretrial interview he said the circumstances of the scene suggested that Baldwin91Ƶs actions were unintentional.

Ocampo Johnson in her opening walked the jurors through the events leading up to Hutchins death. She said on that day, Baldwin declined multiple opportunities for standard safety checks with armorer before the rehearsal in the small church about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the courthouse where Hutchins, 91Ƶa vibrant 42-year-old rising star,91Ƶ was killed. She said Baldwin instead 91Ƶdid his own thing.91Ƶ

91ƵHe cocks the hammer, points it straight at Miss Hutchins, and fires that gun, sending that live bullet right into Miss Hutchins body,91Ƶ said Ocampo Johnson, a relative newcomer to the case, appointed in late April by the Santa Fe district attorney91Ƶs office.

During the presentation, Baldwin trained his eyes downward on a notepad, away from the jury. He watched Spiro intently during his opening. His wife Hilaria Baldwin, younger brother Stephen Baldwin and older sister Elizabeth Keuchler 91Ƶ who wiped away tears at times 91Ƶ were among the family and friends sitting behind him.

The 91Ƶ 11 women and five men 91Ƶ come from a region with strong currents of gun ownership and safety informed by backcountry hunting. Four of the jurors will be deemed alternates while the other 12 deliberate once they get the case.

and the wounding of director Joel Souza nearly three years ago sent shock waves through the film industry and led to one felony charge against Baldwin, 66, that could result in up to 18 months in prison.

91ƵIt killed an amazing person,91Ƶ Spiro said. 91ƵIt wounded another, and it changed lives forever.91Ƶ

Baldwin 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 91Ƶ not the trigger 91Ƶ and it fired.

91ƵNo one saw him intentionally pull the trigger,91Ƶ Spiro said.

But he said even if Baldwin had pulled it and was lying, Spiro said, it still would not have been manslaughter.

91ƵOn a movie set, you91Ƶre allowed to pull that trigger,91Ƶ Spiro said, adding, 91Ƶthat doesn91Ƶt make it a homicide.91Ƶ

The lawyer emphasized that the responsibility for safety lay with the film91Ƶs armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, who has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and assistant director David Halls, who pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon in exchange for his testimony at trial.

Baldwin had been told 91Ƶcold gun91Ƶ before getting the revolver, not knowing there was a live round in it.

91ƵIt had been checked and double checked by those responsible for ensuring the gun was safe,91Ƶ Spiro said. 91ƵHe did not tamper with it he did not load it himself. He did not leave it unattended.91Ƶ

Spiro has in recent years become one of the most sought-after defense attorneys in the country. His clients have included Elon Musk, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Baldwin 91Ƶ the star of 91Ƶ has been a household name as an actor and public personality for more than three decades.

Spiro said in concluding his opening that witnesses will attest that 91Ƶno actor in history91Ƶ has 91Ƶintercepted a live bullet from a prop gun.91Ƶ

91ƵNo one could have imagined or expected an actor to do that,91Ƶ the lawyer said.

Testimony at trial will delve into the mechanics of the weapon and whether it could have fired without a trigger pull. Prosecutors say it couldn91Ƶt have.

91ƵThat gun the defendant had asked to be assigned worked perfectly fine as it was designed,91Ƶ Ocampo Johnson said.

Attorney Gloria Allred sat in the front row of the courtroom audience, a reminder of Baldwin91Ƶs other legal difficulties. Allred is representing 91ƵRust91Ƶ script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and Hutchins91Ƶ sister and parents in a and other producers.

Allred said that from her observations in court, the jury appeared to be riveted by testimony and evidence including the police lapel camera video.





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