He was hunched over his phone, like someone bent in prayer... JAN MOIR sees Alec Baldwin make a surprise appearance at pre-trial hearing for 'Rust' film shooting

No 1 expected Alec Baldwin to move up astatine pre-trial hearings connected Monday morning, but conscionable earlier 8am he stepped retired of a Chevrolet Suburban pinch blacked retired windows and headed into nan First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, present successful downtown Santa Fe.

Baldwin, 66, walked slow up to nan tribunal doors, his caller hep cognition leaving him pinch an impaired gait, his look blank. He carried a bulky canvas tote successful 1 manus and could person been a man returning his farming books to a room alternatively of a man trying to prevention his name, his reputation, his career, nan full remainder of his life.

Several camera crews filmed his each move, immoderate of them from news organisations from astir nan world, immoderate of them present successful relationship pinch various documentary projects astir nan calamity — 1 of them moreover rumoured to beryllium from Baldwin's ain upcoming reality TLC series, The Baldwins, featuring his woman Hilaria and their 7 young children.

'Oh, no. That would beryllium wholly insane. I conscionable don't judge that,' said 1 section news anchor. It surely seemed unlikely. But nary 1 knew for sure.

Up connected nan 3rd floor, past nan District Attorney's Office and down nan polished corridor from nan Victims' Waiting Office, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer yet opened proceedings successful State v Alexander Rae Baldwin, successful which nan Emmy award-winning character is charged pinch involuntary manslaughter complete nan fatal shooting successful 2021 of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer moving connected nan group of his cowboy-themed film, Rust.

She died aft being deed by a slug from a weapon held successful Baldwin's manus while he was rehearsing a scene; a tragic infinitesimal that has been astatine nan centre of a ineligible conflict for much than 3 years.

Baldwin sat astatine nan defence array connected nan near of nan court, flanked by his quad of high-powered, expensively tailored New York attorneys. These included Alex Spiro, known arsenic nan A-list lawyer to nan elite.

He riffled done a sheaf of photographs of nan religion wherever nan fatal shooting took place, jiggled his knee, gave Baldwin a reassuring pat connected nan shoulder.

For nan State, lead charismatic Kari Morrissey and her squad sat connected nan right, possibly somewhat much dishevelled than their sleek, groomed big-city adversaries.

'Where does this plug in?' she asked nary 1 successful particular, holding a connecting cable.

After months – years! – of ineligible wrangling and respective grounded attempts by nan defence to person nan lawsuit dismissed, location is nary emotion mislaid betwixt nan 2 sides. Even though they sat 5 feet isolated passim nan all-day hearing, Spiro and Morrissey didn't look astatine each different once.

Arguments raged for hours, complete arcane points of law, disputes astir who was and who was not to beryllium allowed connected nan witnesser list, nan 'co-mingling' of unrecorded bullets pinch blank rounds and whether autopsy photographs would beryllium admissible.

There was overmuch chat of 'predicate acts', of Mr Baldwin's earlier behaviour connected nan Rust group earlier nan incident connected October 21. 'Mr Baldwin is not a murderer connected nan 21st because he swore connected nan 16th,' based on his lawyer Luke Nikas.

Both sides often accused nan different of gaming nan strategy and trying to summation a 'tactical advantage'. Sometimes it moreover sewage a small heated. 'You cognize that if nan State had done this they would beryllium screaming that we had sandbagged nan defence,' was 1 confusing but plaintive cry. 'They conscionable trim and pasted that!' was another.

Throughout each this Alec Baldwin sat pinch his fingers clasped together and his caput somewhat bowed. Sometimes he donned a brace of achromatic rimmed glasses and made notes connected a yellowish ineligible notepad. He listened avidly arsenic Judge Sommer laid down – good – nan rule among nan warring teams.

'Every clip you want to opportunity thing that is not a mobility to nan witness, you are going to travel up present to nan bench. You don't get to do it from there,' she told Spiro. 'I americium successful complaint here.'

On different juncture she told him; 'Could you conscionable reply my question? You person already had your chance.' He did arsenic he was told. 'We person travel a agelong measurement to get here, each we want is simply a adjacent trial,' he said.

Pre-trial arguments are now over. Today a assemblage will beryllium sworn successful and tomorrow, nan proceedings due begins.

Here, successful this windowless criminal courtroom, pinch its dowdy carpet and fading citrus walls that carnivore testament to decades of quality despair, Alec Baldwin's destiny will yet beryllium decided.

During a tribunal break I saw him retired successful nan corridor, hunched complete his telephone for illustration personification bent successful prayer, tap-tap-tapping retired a message.