Alec Baldwin Gets Bad News From Legal Experts

Things are going from bad to worse in the trial for actor Alec Baldwin.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the “Rust” film set, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found responsible by a jury for actions leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins died after a gun Alec Baldwin was holding discharged.

Legal experts told Fox News Digital that the sentence is a troubling sign for Baldwin, who faces the same involuntary manslaughter charge and will stand trial on July 9 in a New Mexico court. Baldwin was both a producer and the lead actor in the film.

“This is bad news for Alec Baldwin and shows the court is taking this fatal shooting seriously and that it’s not just for show, as his defenders claim,” Miguel Custodio, a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles and co-founder of Custodio and Dubey LLP, spoke to Fox News.

“A plea deal would be the best strategy for him right now, considering [Monday’s] sentencing and the information the prosecution has about the chaos on the set and Baldwin’s failure to do anything about it. But I don’t see that happening.”

“Baldwin may think that he will have an easier time if he believes that his team can convince a jury to see that the only culpable party has already been convicted,” Custodio continued. “That’s a risky proposition, given Baldwin’s role as a producer actually involves him in all aspects of the production. Potential jurors will clearly know what went on with Gutierrez Reed and will really scrutinize Baldwin’s lack of responsibility for the chaos on the set.”

Alec Baldwin gives wife Hilaria Baldwin a kiss while out in New York City. (Getty Images/File)

“And remember, Alec Baldwin will be in the same court, with the same judge, in the same community, with prosecutors presenting many of the same facts. And he’s facing the same sentence: 18 months imprisonment.”

On October 21, 2021, during rehearsals for the Western film “Rust” at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the tragic incident occurred involving Baldwin. The actor was handling a prop firearm that was supposed to be loaded with blanks. However, when he discharged the gun, it unexpectedly contained a live round. The shot fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and also injured the director, Joel Souza.

The presence of a live round in a situation where only blanks were supposed to be used prompted extensive investigations and sparked a global conversation about safety protocols on film sets.

Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos mentioned that Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer clearly explained her reasoning while sentencing Gutierrez Reed. “It’s tough. I don’t think that there was, by definition, any intent, but the law will still hold you responsible,” he explained to Fox News.

“The judge kind of laid out exactly her thinking. I will tell you, if you’re defending Alec Baldwin, this is going to give you grave, grave concern going into that trial.”

“I expect he’s got a tough road here because [Gutierrez Reed’s] trial was filled with trying to shift blame to him.”

Geragos remarked that the forthcoming trial would be a “heavy lift” for Baldwin, noting to Fox: “You’ve got somebody who’s already been sentenced to 18 months … and now he’s got to go in there. He’s the person giving the orders. He’s the one who was handling the gun.”