Alec Baldwin looked 'like someone bent in prayer' as he attended the pre-trial hearing for Halyna Hutchins shooting case

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Alec Baldwin, who is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the Santa Fe court for the death of Halyna Hutchins, was observed "hunched over his phone like someone bent in prayer" during his appearance at the pre-trial hearings on Monday.

According to British columnist Jan Moir writing in Daily Mail, the 66-year-old actor was present at the pre-trial hearings on Monday, July 8, at the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, Santa Fe. During the session, the judge established the guidelines for the opposing legal teams.

The ‘Beetlejuice’ actor walked into the courthouse on Monday and sat in the courtroom with his fingers clasped and his head slightly bowed when the legal parties warred with each other.

Alec Baldwin was present at pre-trial hearings

Alec Baldwin’s case is set to begin on Tuesday, July 9, but the pre-trial took place the day before. As the actor arrived at the courthouse, he was surrounded by numerous photographers, reportedly including cameramen from his upcoming TLC show 'The Baldwins.'

During the proceedings, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer opened the case of State v Alexander Rae Baldwin, where the actor is defending himself. 

Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter of ‘Rust’ cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. 

The young cinematographer lost her life after being hit by a stray bullet charged from a gun the Emmy-winning actor was holding while rehearsing a scene for his cowboy-themed film. 

The 'Pearl Harbor' actor was seated at the defense table on the left side of the courtroom, accompanied by his high-profile attorneys from New York, including Alex Spiro.

In the televised proceedings, Alex Spiro can be seen giving Alec Baldwin an assuring pat on the shoulder after Baldwin shuffled through a rack of photographs from the accident scene.

The State, on the other hand, is represented by Kari Morrisey who was seated on the right. 

The day's proceedings were filled with arguments over the list of witnesses to be included. There were heated discussions about the admissibility of autopsy photographs and the "co-mingling" of live bullets with blank rounds.

There was also a discussion of “predicate acts” and Baldwin’s previous behaviors on set prior to the fateful incident on October 21. 

One of his lawyers, Luke Nikas made a pointed comment about the same, saying, “Mr Baldwin is not a murderer on the 21st because he swore on the 16th.” Trying to gain a “tactical advantage,” both parties verbally feuded with each other. 

While one party said, “You know that if the State had done this they would be screaming that we had sandbagged the defense,” the other said, “They just cut and pasted that!”

According to Moir, throughout the contentious discussions, Baldwin sat quietly with his fingers clasped and his head slightly bowed. Occasionally, he took notes on a notepad.

When Judge Sommers instructed Spiro, “Every time you want to say something that is not a question to the witness, you are going to come up here to the bench. You don't get to do it from there,” Baldwin listened intently.

During the court break, Moir observed Baldwin hunched over his phone, typing a message. The columnist remarked that he resembled a man in prayer.

Alec Baldwin's role as producer is not important in the trial

On Monday, Judge Sommers also announced that Baldwin's involvement in 'Rust' film as a producer is not relevant to the involuntary manslaughter trial, per Associated Press. 

The judge said, “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 of these things wrong that resulted in the death of Ms Hutchins because as a producer he allowed these things to happen."

“I’m denying evidence of his status as a producer," declared the judge.