Manufacturer of Gun Alec Baldwin Held in Fatal Rust Shooting Testifies It’s Impossible to Fire Unless Trigger Is Pulled

The second day of Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial explored whether or not the actor pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The 66-year-old actor-producer, who has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 18 months in prison, has repeatedly stated that he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the prop gun that fired off a live round on the set of his Western film in 2021. 

Baldwin remained stoic and attentive throughout the Thursday, July 11 proceedings at Santa Fe’s 1st Judicial District Court of New Mexico, including during the testimony of Alessandro Pietta, a weapons manufacturer of collectible firearms.

Pietta said on the stand that the Colt .45 model in question, from his company Pietta Firearms, “cannot fire without a pull of trigger because the mechanics and design of trigger was made to work in this way,"

“If you want to release the hammer, you need to pull the trigger,” he added.

During cross-examination, Baldwin’s attorney confirmed that Pietta did not inspect the gun that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, and — other than a “picture of the gun during a previous interview” via Zoom — did not see or have knowledge of its condition on the Rust set. The defense had previously objected to Pietta’s testimony.

Pietta testified that his guns go through quality control at his company and the government's regulatory body in his native Italy. 

When the prosecution team asked Justin Neal, owner of the marketing firm responsible for the importing and distribution of Pietta Firearms, if he’d ever heard from customers of a Pietta revolver “going off by itself,” Neal responded: “Never.” 

Neal also told the prosecutor that the gun "was in perfect condition” before being sold to the movie’s prop company, PDQ Arm and Prop, LLC.

During a break in the proceedings, Baldwin’s wife Hilaria, dressed in a dark suit, approached her husband at the defense table. The couple whispered together for a few minutes, carefully turning their heads so others could not read their lips. Baldwin gave a small smile when she stroked his shoulder as she returned to her seat in the second row next to the 30 Rock Emmy winner’s brother, fellow actor Stephen Baldwin.

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The trial’s presiding judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, took time early in the day to scold members of the media for not cleaning up their cups and water bottles in the courtroom. 

Among those attending the proceedings is Baldwin’s sister, Beth Keuchler. She and Stephen were spotted leaving the courtroom hand-in-hand, walking behind the Beetlejuice star and his wife. 

Sommer also oversaw the March trial of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in Hutchins’ death and earned the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. It remains to be seen if Gutierrez-Reed will be called to testify during Baldwin’s trial, which is expected to run through July 19.