What to Know About Alec Baldwin's Rust Trial

Nearly three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the New Mexico set of Rust, Alec Baldwin is going on trial over her death. Jury selection begins Tuesday, with opening statements expected Wednesday, and the projected end the following Friday, reports the AP. A last-minute ruling dealt the prosecution a major setback on Monday. Here are the essential things to know:

• What is Baldwin charged with? Felony involuntary manslaughter. If a jury unanimously convicts him, he could get 18 months in prison. Baldwin was pointing a revolver at Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin says he pulled back the hammer—but not the trigger—and the gun fired. It has never been determined who brought the live rounds to the set. Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to the same 18 months in prison Baldwin faces.

• What jurors must decide: Prosecutors have two alternative standards for proving the charge. One is based on the negligent use of a firearm. The other is proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin acted with total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.
• Pretrial change: The judge ruled Monday that Baldwin's role as a producer of the film is not relevant. Prosecutors wanted to present evidence to show Baldwin had a special responsibility for a dangerous environment on the set that went beyond that of an actor holding a gun, per the AP. Such evidence won't be allowed. "I'm having real difficulty with the state's position that they want to show that as a producer he didn't follow guidelines and therefore as an actor Mr. Baldwin did all of these things wrong that resulted in the death of Ms. Hutchins because as a producer he allowed these things to happen," said Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.
• Baldwin's defense: Baldwin brings an elite legal team of New York-based attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, including Alex Spiro, a 41-year-old defense attorney who has represented Elon Musk, Megan Thee Stallion, and other prominent figures. The defense will try to show that it's not an actor's job to make sure real rounds aren't in his gun, a position strongly supported by SAG-AFTRA.
• The prosecution: Kari Morrissey was appointed special prosecutor in early 2023. The trial could bring a culture clash between the team of attorneys, as fiery hearings and filings have already shown. Morrissey and Spiro have butted heads often—"I'm not going to sit here and be called a liar!"—she said at a May hearing—and will likely do the same during the trial.
• Witnesses: Souza, who was himself wounded by the bullet, will testify, as well as assistant director David Halls, who some said was responsible but pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm. Crew member Zac Sneesby will testify that he saw Baldwin pull the trigger, making him potentially the most important witness of all. Prosecutors also may call Gutierrez-Reed to the stand. Baldwin can take the stand, but he doesn't have to.

(More Alec Baldwin stories.)