The jury that questioned Alec Baldwin during his involuntary manslaughter trial was made up of a majority of women. There were 11 women and five men on the jury. That could either help or hurt the embattled actor, experts told Fox News Digital.
Maryland attorney Randolph Rice says both prosecutors and defense attorneys sometimes tailor their tactics to the gender balance on the jury.
Rice said Baldwin’s lawyers may emphasize his deep sorrow after he fatally shot camerawoman Halyna Hutchins on the set of the 2021 Western film “Rust” to strike a chord.
“Maybe the defense is trying to latch onto the emotional part of this,” Rice said. “That he was so consumed with grief and that he couldn’t commit a crime because of his reaction to the crime scene.”
FATAL TIMELINE IN ALEC BALDWIN ‘REST’ SHOOTING CASE THAT LED TO ACTORS’ INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES
Alec Baldwin speaks with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, in First District Court during the first day of testimony in the case against him in Santa Fe, N.M., July 10, 2024. (Eddie Moore/Journal/Pool via Reuters)
Photos of a distraught Baldwin appearing to cry during a phone call after the accidental shooting were prominently posted online.
The jury, which consists of four alternatives, heard opening statements and testimony from four witnesses on Wednesday.
Attorneys also note that female jurors may be irritated by Baldwin’s surly personality and the fact that the victim in the case was a mother.
Rice also highlighted the presence of Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria, and brother Stephen in the front row during Wednesday’s opening statements. After the trial ended for the day, the couple strolled down Santa Fe’s posh East San Francisco Street, where they shopped with their 20-month-old daughter in tow.
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Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin leave court on July 10, 2024. (AP photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
The couple left after the day of his involuntary manslaughter trial in Santa Fe, NM (AP photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
Rice said it was strategic to emphasize his extended family ties.
“The defense can try to use the fact that he has eight children, seven with Hilaria and a grandchild, to their advantage,” he said. “Women can have sympathy for a father and grandfather, along with his fame.”
“The defense can try to use the fact that he has eight children, seven with Hilaria and one grandchild, to their advantage.”
Attorney Elizabeth Bunker countered that female jurors might withdraw because of the aggressive behavior of Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, and Baldwin’s aggressive personality.
The actor’s attorney on Wednesday questioned Santa Fe police officer Nicholas Lefleur in an effort to draw attention to what he called sloppy investigative work.
Alec Baldwin embraces his brother, actor Stephen Baldwin, during a break in Alec’s hearing in Santa Fe County Superior Court on July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin/Pool)
Alec Baldwin leaves the courtroom after his hearing. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin/Pool)
“Sometimes being too aggressive on the cross can backfire on a jury with a lot of women,” Bunker said. “It can go either way.” She also noted that Baldwin’s reputation as a surly person could hurt him more with women than with men.
She stressed that the trial hinged largely on Baldwin’s handling of the firearm that killed Hutchins, saying that “a jury of mostly women may be less knowledgeable about firearms.”
“Men tend to think in a more black-and-white way and might say, ‘Of course you pulled the trigger.’”
Baldwin has repeatedly stated that he cocked the gun but did not pull the trigger.
ALEC BALDWIN’S CLAIM THAT HE DIDN’T PULL THE TRIGGER ON ‘RUST’ SET QUESTIONED BY SHERIFF: ‘GUNS DON’T JUST GO OFF’
Alec Baldwin was seen in the church where Hutchins was murdered in clips from the “Rust” production used in the trial of Hannah Gutierrez Reed. (CourtTV)
According to entertainment industry attorney Tre Lovell, gender likely won’t play a major role in the verdict.
“Overall, I don’t see how gender is that important to this case,” he told Fox News Digital. “What is important is how the jurors feel about Alec Baldwin and what their feelings are in terms of guns and being able to trust experts.”
The actor accidentally shot Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on October 21, 2021, after the film’s gunmaster, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, accidentally loaded a live round into the revolver.
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Camerawoman Halyna Hutchins died in October 2021 on the set of “Rust.” (Fred Hayes)
Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson argued in her opening statement that Baldwin violated “basic rules of firearm safety” by pointing a real weapon on set.
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Spiro countered that Baldwin had been told the gun was cold and that on a film set it is the gunsmith’s job, not the actor’s, to make sure the guns are safe.
“On a film set, safety should come first before an actor gets his hands on a gun,” the attorney told jurors in his opening statement.
The trial will resume on Thursday.