Alec Baldwin Walked out of Court in the Middle of His Trial, but Why Did He Leave?

Celebrity trials often get a disproportionate amount of attention. Thus far, that has been the case with the trial of Alec Baldwin, who is currently being prosecuted for his alleged role in the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who died while working on the movie Rust.

While many have been watching the trial eagerly, some were surprised to learn that Baldwin abruptly left the courtroom in the middle of the trial's second day. Here's what we know about why he left, and whether his departure was triggered by anything.

Baldwin walked out of the courtroom just after the court had recessed for lunch while the motion hearing was underway. It doesn't appear as though anything specific triggered his decision to leave the courtroom, but he returned just a few minutes later with a takeout coffee cup in his hand. The most obvious explanation, then, is that he left the courtroom to retrieve the coffee that someone else had brought to him.

While it may sound dramatic, the reality is that Baldwin's departure — while unusual — was likely not in response to any fiery testimony or particularly triggering piece of evidence. Instead, it seems like he just wanted a coffee, and left briefly to retrieve it.

Of course, defendants are not usually allowed to get up and simply leave the courtroom in the middle of their trials, but Judge Sommer, the judge in this case, seems to have let him get away with it.

Although his departure from court played out relatively undramatically in real time, some still thought it suggested something about his overall character.

"Doesn't he know he's on trial? He's a defendant in a criminal case, and he just left! He's not used to being controlled. He is demonstrating that he is usually the boss. Makes it hard to imagine him listening to Hannah Gutierrez or anyone else," one person wrote in comments under the video.

"If this was an average American on trial for killing someone, walking out wouldn't be tolerated and [they] would be held in contempt, this is nonsense and privileged..." another person added.

It's likely true that Baldwin was allowed to briefly leave the courtroom in part because of his unique status as a celebrity.

Thus far, the trial has played out in a mostly straightforward manner. The central question of the case is Baldwin's claim that he did not pull the trigger on the gun that ultimately fired, and that the gun fired on its own when he cocked it.

The prosecutors have brought in the gun's manufacturers, who claimed that it could not have gone off unless the trigger had been pulled. If he is convicted, Baldwin could face as much as 18 months in prison for his role in the on-set shooting.