The first day of witness testimony at Alec Baldwin’s criminal trial in New Mexico was an emotional one.
Baldwin’s sister Beth Keuchler was in tears during opening statements as she sat in the courtroom to support her brother, per a Wednesday, July 10, report from Entertainment Tonight.
“Stephen [Baldwin] was seen consoling his sister, who was crying during opening statements,” a source told the outlet.
This reportedly continued into a break in the trial when “[Beth] and Stephen went out into the hallway, where Stephen continued to console his sister, who was visibly emotional, crying and wiping away tears.”
The source went on to say that Alec “joined his family and hugged his sister” before the break ended.
Alec’s wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and their 21-month-old daughter, Ilaria — the youngest of the couple’s seven children — were also present.
Alec, 66, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter stemming from the fatal shooting that took place in October 2021 on the set of his upcoming film Rust. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on set when a gun that Alec was holding went off. If convicted, Alec faces up to 18 months in prison.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has already been convicted and was sentenced to 18 months.
Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson spent her opening statement attempting to argue Alec was careless on set.
“You will see him using this gun as a pointer to point at people, to point at things,” she said, per Court TV’s livestream of the trial. “You will see him cock the hammer when he’s not supposed to.”
“You will see him put his finger on the trigger when his finger is not supposed to be on the trigger. You will hear about numerous breaches of firearm safety with this defendant and this use of his firearm.”
Alec’s attorney Alex Spiro countered by outlining the safety measures the film’s crew took, implying the actor had every reason to believe the gun was not loaded. He said “the gun was double-checked” and the crew “verified it was a cold gun,” adding that Alec was allegedly never told there was a live round in the chamber.
Spiro added, “It had been checked and double-checked by those responsible for ensuring the gun was safe. He did not tamper with it, he did not load it himself. He did not leave it unattended.”
Alec has repeatedly stood by his assertion that he did not pull the trigger on the prop gun.
In addition to opening statements, the prosecution called its first witness, Santa Fe deputy Nicholas LeFleur, who was the first law enforcement official on the scene. Jurors also heard the 911 call placed immediately after the shooting.
