USA Jury selection in the criminal trial against Alec Baldwin

The start of the criminal trial against Alec Baldwin: the trial against the actor for involuntary manslaughter begins with the selection of twelve jurors in the court of Santa Fe (US state of New Mexico). The star of films and series such as "The Hunt for Red October", "Blue Jasmine" and "30 Rock" arrived in court accompanied by his wife Hilaria Baldwin (40). The 66-year-old did not respond to questions from reporters, as reported by Court TV.

The prosecution and defense must first select a dozen jurors and a handful of alternate jurors from a pool of candidates. The trial can then begin with the opening statements. The judge has set just under two weeks for the trial. Cameras are permitted - the proceedings will be broadcast via livestream. Among others, filmmakers, investigators and weapons experts are expected to take the witness stand. In the end, twelve jurors will have to reach a verdict. If found guilty, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.

The fatal incident on the western set

The charge stems from a shooting incident on the film set of the western "Rust". On October 21, 2021, lead actor Baldwin pulled out a revolver during rehearsals. But instead of harmless bullets, live ammunition went off. The bullet pierced camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (42) and then hit director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, in the shoulder. Hutchins - mother of a nine-year-old son at the time - died shortly afterwards; Souza escaped with minor injuries.

Baldwin had claimed in interviews that he had not pulled the trigger of the gun. The actor and producer pleaded not guilty to the charge in January. However, according to a report by firearms experts, the trigger must have been pulled.

Baldwin's lawyers score points before the trial begins

In the preliminary hearings, the defense attorneys prevailed with a motion that only Baldwin's role as an actor is relevant in the proceedings. The prosecution, on the other hand, wanted to bring up Baldwin's other role as co-producer of the western - arguing that he had disregarded safety regulations in this role, exerted pressure on film-makers on set and thus put them in danger.

The prosecutors, on the other hand, were given the go-ahead by the judge to show the jury videos of Baldwin handling weapons on set. Among other things, they want to show that the actor acted recklessly during filming.

Earlier guilty verdict against weapons master

In a separate trial, the weapons master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for weapons safety on the set of "Rust", was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. She had loaded the gun, which contained live ammunition. In April, she was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

SDA