As jury selection began Tuesday in New Mexico, Judge Jeanine Pirro offered her thoughts on Alec Baldwin's “Last” trial.
Pirro told America's Newsroom that Baldwin's case stemmed from “ancient issues.”
“First of all, we never speak to the press. We never give interviews when there are fatalities. I mean, you can call it an accident, but just because it's an accident doesn't mean it's not a murder,” she said.
“One thing to understand is that the gun manufacturer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was charged with manslaughter as a gun manufacturer. She was convicted. And the same experts that were used in the trial of Hannah Gutierrez Reed will be used in the trial of Alec Baldwin.”
Gutierrez Reed is currently serving an 18-month sentence.
Pirro noted the possibility of a “culture clash” in the courtroom between Baldwin's high-ranking New York lawyers and the rural Santa Fe prosecutors.
“This case is significant not only because of the horrific death of an individual on a movie set in itself, but also because it illustrates the overall issue of whether these prop guns, which are not supposed to contain live ammunition, should be allowed to be used on a movie set,” Piro said.
“There should not have been any live ammunition anywhere near that set, but we know that there were people who left the set because of the risk of live ammunition being fired at that location.”