Hollywood star Alec Baldwin got some good news from a judge on Monday.
Baldwin is on trial for involuntary manslaughter regarding his 2021 shooting on the set of his movie Rust in New Mexico. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in this tragic incident.
Judge Gives Baldwin Good News
As Baldwin’s trial gets underway in New Mexico, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer granted a request from his legal team. This request was that prosecutors be barred from introducing testimony about how Baldwin’s role as a producer Rust allegedly allowed him to act recklessly and ignore gun safety protocols.
“I’m having real difficulty with the state’s position that they want to show that as a producer he didn’t follow guidelines and therefore, as an actor, Mr. Baldwin did all these things wrong,” the judge said on Monday.
“The probative value is not substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice and confusion to jurors,” she added.
Baldwin, now 66, was holding the gun on the set of Rust when it went off in October of 2021. Hutchins was killed, director Joel Souza was wounded. Baldwin has since pleaded not guilty.
Related: Alec Baldwin Attacks Family Of Cinematographer He Fatally Shot On ‘Rust’ Set
Massive Setback For Prosecutors
Indeed, the judge’s ruling yesterday is a crushing blow to prosecutors. They have tried to argue that Baldwin was responsible for any reckless behavior on the Rust set since he was both a producer and the most experienced star in the cast.
“Defendant’s role as a producer emboldened him in the days before October 21, 2021, to engage in conduct that placed others, including Ms. Hutchins at risk, by rushing crew members and making demands for quick changes to scenes, sending crew members scrambling,” special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson argued.
Johnson went on to argue that when Baldwin pointed the gun at Hutchins, he should have known that he was being “reckless and wanton.”
Judge Summer’s ruling will also stop prosecutors from presenting videos of Baldwin that could potentially be unflattering. These videos reportedly show him screaming at staffers and hurling orders at them. Baldwin’s lawyer Luke Nikas managed to argue that Baldwin’s role as a producer of Rust isn’t relevant to the shooting. The judge appears to have agreed that it would only confuse the jury.
Despite these setbacks, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey attempted to downplay the importance of the ruling. During a brief break following the ruling, Morrisey alleged that she was not “particularly concerned.”
Baldwin Facing 18 Months Behind Bars
Earlier this year, Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was convicted of the same charge Baldwin is facing. She is currently serving an 18-month sentence after she unknowingly loaded the live round into the revolver.
If convicted, Baldwin is facing up to the same 18-month sentence.
Baldwin has long claimed that he is innocent. He alleges that he did not pull the trigger and did not know there were live rounds in the firearm.
Baldwin’s trial is set to begin on Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico with the selection of jurors, according to The Associated Press.
Baldwin has been a somewhat controversial figure in Hollywood for decades. Many feel that when it comes to the fatal Rust shooting, the buck simply stops with Baldwin.
Only time will tell if the jury will feel the same way.
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