Alec Baldwin “played make believe with a real gun” on the set of “Rust” — and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died as a result, prosecutors argued at the start of the actor’s trial Wednesday.
Baldwin, 66, arrived at the court in Santa Fe around 8 a.m., roughly an hour before opening statements began in the manslaughter trial against him, wearing a dark suit, light purple button down shirt, maroon tie and glasses. He did not answer questions from a gaggle of reporters.
“The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant Alec Baldwin,” prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo told jurors.
The “30 Rock” star is charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter after he fired off a live round while rehearsing on the set of the Western at the Bonanza Creek Ranch killing, Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on Oct. 21, 2021.
He faces up to 18 months in jail in convicted.
Hutchins’ family’s lawyer Gloria Allred was present for trial Wednesday and said she planned to attend most of the trial on behalf of Hutchins’ mom, dad and sister who cannot attend as they live in war-torn Kiev, Ukraine.