Alec Baldwin's trial opened in New Mexico on Wednesday with the prosecution and defence painting starkly different pictures of the events leading up to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Mr Baldwin, known for roles on the sitcom 30 Rock and portraying Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, is facing up to 18 years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Ms Hutchins, 42, died after a gun Mr Baldwin was rehearsing with went off.
It was found that the film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, accidentally mixed up dummy bullets with live ammunition she had brought from home. Mr Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and maintains he never pulled the trigger when the gun went off. In their opening statements, the defence portrayed Mr Baldwin as an actor simply doing his job, who placed his trust in a crew charged with ensuring weapon safety.
Prosecutors argued he was a man with a flagrant disregard for gun safety on a film set with a small budget and an inexperienced cast. Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson opened the trial by telling the jury that the case was "simple" and "straightforward". Mr Baldwin "played make-believe with a real gun" and "violated the cardinal rules of firearms safety", Ms Johnson argued.
“While it was a movie set, it was a real, live workplace for many people," she said in her opening statements. "You will hear that this workplace was on a tight budget..
. and some of the people who were hired were inexperienced." Mr Baldwin's defence team, however, a.
