Nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," Alec Baldwin is going on trial over her death. Here are the essential things to know.What Charge Does Baldwin Face?The actor is about to enter a New Mexico courtroom for the first time since the Oct. 21, 2021 shooting. He is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter. If a jury unanimously convicts him, he could get 18 months in prison.
Mr. Baldwin, the star and co-producer of the Western, was pointing a revolver at Hutchins during a rehearsal in a small church on the movie set at Bonanza Creek Ranch when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer -- but not the trigger -- and the gun fired.
Two major themes will predominate, one large, one small: the chaotic atmosphere of the movie set, and the details of the Italian-made classic revolver that Mr. Baldwin pointed at Hutchins.
It has never been officially determined who brought the live rounds that killed Hutchins on to the set. Prosecutors at the previous trial of "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed alleged that she was responsible. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to the same 18 months in prison Mr. Baldwin faces.
The defense will try to show that it is not the job of an actor to make sure real rounds are not in his gun, a position strongly supported by Mr. Baldwin's union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Mr. Baldwin said in an interview with ABC News, and implied in interviews with authorities, that he never pulled the revolver's trigger.
His lawyers will also attack the gun evidence, and the serious damage done to the revolver during an FBI test they say amounted to the destruction of evidence and left the defense no chance to examine it.
Firearms experts for the prosecution who testified at the Gutierrez-Reed trial are returning to the witness stand, over objections by Mr. Baldwin, to testify about his handling of the revolver and whether the gun was functioning properly.
And they may press witnesses over whether Hutchins received proper medical treatment between the shooting and the declaration of her death at a hospital.
Mr. Morrissey graduated from the University of New Mexico and its law school, and practiced law in Albuquerque for more than 20 years. New Mexico criminal defense attorney Erlinda Johnson joined Morrissey's team in April.
The trial could bring a culture clash between the team of attorneys, as fiery hearings and filings have already shown.
Ms. Morrissey and Mr. Spiro in particular have butted heads often -- "I'm not going to sit here and be called a liar!" -- she said during one such moment at a May hearing -- and will likely do the same and provide some drama during the proceedings.
Zac Sneesby, a crew member who was holding a boom microphone during the rehearsal, will testify that he saw Mr. Baldwin pull the trigger of the revolver, prosecutors said in court filings, making him potentially the most important witness of all.
Prosecutors also may call Ms. Gutierrez-Reed to the stand, but Judge Marlowe Sommer rejected an immunity deal they wanted to give her.
Jurors will hear testimony from firearms experts who allege the revolver was working properly could not have fired without pulling the trigger.
The proceedings could make for an unusual scene. Scores of members of the national media will compete for seats in the Santa Fe courtroom and an overflow room, and cameras will surround the courthouse for arrivals and departures.
