Who are the members of the jury in Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ trial for manslaughter?
Sixteen jurors were seated on Tuesday who will hear testimony in Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’.
Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter got underway on Tuesday with jury selection. After an initial delay of two hours due to technical problems, the process was completed in just one day as had been expected.
From the original pool of 70 potential jurors, only two acknowledged that they were familiar with the case and another two others said that they could not be fair and impartial who were then excused. In the end, out of the 68 remianing, sixteen were selected consisting of five men and 11 women. Twelve will sit on the jury and four will be designated as alternates.
Who are the members of the jury in Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ trial for manslaughter?
Opening arguments are set to begin on Wednesday in the Santa Fe courtroom in New Mexico. The jurors will be tasked with deciding if Baldwin’s accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, that resulted in her death, was a felony which could get him up to 18 months in prison.
Potential jurors were asked about their opinions on guns and gun safety to which few expressed strong feelings, one said she hates them. Many said that they were gun owners themselves.
Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, asked if a person can rely on a gun expert to ensure that a gun is safe or if it up to the individual themselves. Several answered that guns should be treated as if they are loaded at all times. This will be key to the defense proving the actor’s innocence.
During a rehearsal in October 2021 on the set of the independent Western film ‘Rust’, the ‘30 Rock’ star was given a revolver that he believed wasn’t loaded with live ammunition. He says that while pointing the gun at Hutchins he pulled back the hammer and without pulling the trigger the revolver fired.
The discharged bullet killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. The armorer for ‘Rust’, Hannah Gutierrez, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March this year for her handling and supervision of the firearms on the film set that would result in the death of Hutchins.