A judge in New Mexico has ruled that actor Alec Baldwin’s role as co-producer is not relevant to his manslaughter trial in connection with a fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust.”
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that evidence about Baldwin’s supporting role in the film would not be admitted at trial, siding with the defense.
“I have real difficulty with the state’s position that it wants to prove that as a producer it did not follow the guidelines and that therefore Mr. Baldwin did all these things wrong as an actor that led to Ms. Hutchins’ death because he as a producer allowed these things to happen,” said Marlowe Sommer.
“I dispute the evidence of his status as a producer.”
Special Counsel Erlinda Johnson argued in vain to allow evidence that Baldwin was “very conscious of his responsibility for safety on set” because of his “role as a producer.”
“It’s about Mr. Baldwin’s knowledge that his conduct on set was negligent,” she said.
In the courtroom on Monday, Baldwin sat between lead attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.
He was leafing through some papers, there was a yellow notepad in front of him, he was wearing glasses and had short hair.
The trial begins on July 9 with jury selection and is expected to last 10 days.
Last week, the judge cleared the way for key prosecution firearms experts to testify about Baldwin’s handling of the revolver and whether the weapon was functioning properly before the fatal shooting.
Prosecutors argued that a government investigation into workplace safety that uncovered serious violations on the set was incomplete and unreliable and should be excluded from the trial.
Baldwin is charged with manslaughter, for which he faces a prison sentence of up to 18 months if convicted.