On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when a live round discharged from a prop gun on the set of the indie Western film “ Rust .” The man holding the gun: Alec Baldwin . For the last three years, the ins and outs of what went wrong on that day have consumed Hollywood.
Few, though, imagined it might get this far, with Alec Baldwin set to stand trial in New Mexico on a charge of involuntary manslaughter that could land him in prison. Jury selection begins today, Tuesday, July 9, with Baldwin already in attendance in court following a pre-trial hearing on Monday that even handed Baldwin’s legal team an early victory (more on that later). We’ll be updating this space with some of the most notable updates from the trial, which will be streaming live starting tomorrow via CourtTV and Law & Crime Network on YouTube.
But how did we get here, what is the prosecution’s case, and what’s at stake for Baldwin? Here’s everything you need to know: Baldwin is charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the killing of Hutchins on the “Rust” set. If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison, per New Mexico law. The New Mexico District Attorney first brought involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin on January 19, 2023.
At the time, he faced up to five years in prison, but due to a legal error by the DA and special prosecutors, the charges were forced to be downgraded and then dropped . Baldwin originally faced a charge that .