[Source: CNN]

It’s a role actor Alec Baldwin presumably never wanted: Defendant.

Baldwin will stand trial in New Mexico beginning this week. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot on set as Baldwin and others were rehearsing a scene for their film “Rust.”

The one count against Baldwin is described in court documents as “negligent use of a firearm.” An alternative count alleges Baldwin caused Hutchins’ death without due caution or circumspection, as “an act committed with the total disregard or indifference to the safety of others.”

With testimony expected to start as early as Wednesday, here are some of the key figures connected to the trial.

A journalist turned promising cinematographer, Hutchins was 42 at the time of her death. A native of Ukraine, Hutchins worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe, where she did feature documentaries for the BBC and Discovery. She lived in New York City, where she found a love for photography, before moving to Los Angeles.

After taking a UCLA extension course for directing Hutchins quickly figured out she loved cinematography more than directing, according to an interview for “Why Women Are Excelling in Hollywood” posted on YouTube months before her death.

Hutchins is survived by her husband, Matthew, and their young son.

Baldwin, 66, held the prop gun that fired a live round of ammunition that hit Hutchins on October 21, 2021. The gun had been announced as “cold” or unloaded on set, according to investigation documents, before the Colt 45 was handed to Baldwin.

The director of the movie told authorities that Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun when it was fired, according to information in 2021 affidavit for a search warrant.

“That she died, that’s the worst thing of all. Somebody died, and it was avoidable. It was so unnecessary,” Baldwin said of Hutchins’ death in a 2022 interview with CNN. “Every day of my life I think about that. ”

The Academy Award-nominated actor is also among the producers on the western drama “Rust.”

Prosecutors contend Baldwin improperly handled the gun on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set.