In a Santa Fe, New Mexico, courthouse, jurors witnessed footage of actor Alec Baldwin swiftly exiting a shack and firing rounds from his Colt .45 “Peacemaker” revolver until it was empty.
“One more, one more, one more, right away, let’s reload,” Baldwin directed Hannah Gutierrez, the chief weapons handler on the set of the movie “Rust,” indicating she should have had another gun ready.
Following merely three hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the jurors found Gutierrez guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors asserted that Gutierrez hurriedly managed the handling of weapons, neglecting to instruct Baldwin, who was in a role, not to aim a gun at individuals or pull the trigger post-take.
Utilizing set videos, prosecutors depicted a breakdown in firearm safety within the movie industry during the “Rust” filming, pivotal in the case concerning the 2021 demise of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
During scene setup, footage revealed Baldwin pointing a revolver at Hutchins; the firearm discharged, fatally striking the cinematographer with a live round mistakenly loaded by Gutierrez.
Amid Gutierrez’s trial, witnesses, including “Rust” colleagues and firearms experts, touched upon Baldwin’s involvement in the incident.
Testimony suggested negligence on his part and highlighted his disproportionate authority on a set where he served as producer, writer, and lead actor.
In a particular video, Baldwin can be seen shouting an expletive and firing a final round after a crew member calls “cut,” deviating from typical movie set protocols and norms.
Legal experts anticipate both state prosecutors and Alec Baldwin’s defense team will draw upon evidence from Gutierrez’s case in Baldwin’s upcoming manslaughter trial scheduled for July 10, concerning Hutchins’ death.
Throughout the proceedings, Gutierrez’s defense attorneys questioned witnesses about whether Baldwin and veteran first assistant director Dave Halls hindered the novice armorer from fulfilling her weapons safety responsibilities.
“He’s instructing the armorer how to do their job,” testified Bryan Carpenter, an expert in firearms safety on film sets who worked on around 100 films and TV episodes, after watching the Baldwin video clip. “Control is how we enforce gun safety.”
Attorney Jason Bowles asked Carpenter whether any armorer could have told Baldwin what to do.
“It would be a difficult situation,” Carpenter testified.
Differing Testimonies
Crew members, including Ross Addagio, who operated a camera dolly on the set, echoed concerns about Baldwin’s influential position on the low-budget film.
Adagio testified, “I don’t recall anybody standing up to Mr. Baldwin on the set of Rust,” also noting Gutierrez as less “professional and serious” compared to other armorers he worked with.
Baldwin has maintained that he held a creative producer role on the movie, distancing himself from on-set operations.
As an actor, he disavowed responsibility for gun safety, asserting he was instructed to aim his revolver at the camera when it discharged the round.
During cross-examination by defense attorneys, “Rust” set stills photographer Karen Kuehn affirmed Baldwin’s dominant producer role, labeling him as the “boss” and noting the absence of dissent towards him on set.
Alec Baldwin’s legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, legal experts suggested they may leverage beneficial testimony from Gutierrez’s trial.
First assistant director Dave Halls, already convicted in the case, defended Baldwin’s actions, likening them to other actors’ adrenaline-fueled behaviors during filming.
Halls refuted claims of Baldwin pressuring anyone, a stance that may feature prominently in Baldwin’s trial, according to Santa Fe criminal defense lawyer Stephen Aarons.
State prosecutor Kari Morrissey, in her closing argument for Gutierrez’s case, hinted at Baldwin’s forthcoming trial, emphasizing his conduct and lack of gun safety as issues he must address separately.
