Who is likely to testify?
The prosecution has included several “Rust” crew members on its list of potential witnesses, including Joel Souza, the movie’s director, who was also shot and wounded in the incident; Mr. Halls, the first assistant director, who avoided prison time by taking a plea deal in the case; Mamie Mitchell and Serge Svetnoy, crew members who were in the room at the time of the shooting; and Sarah Zachry, the movie’s prop master, who entered into a cooperation agreement with the prosecution. They will also likely call the original investigators on the case from the sheriff’s office and Mr. Kenney, the weapons supplier.
The defense has also listed, among others, Gabrielle Pickle, the film’s line producer, who communicated with Ms. Gutierrez-Reed about weapons training; Nicole Montoya, who worked with her on props; and Thell Reed, the well-known Hollywood armorer whom Ms. Gutierrez-Reed has called her father and mentor.
The prosecution has recently taken issue with Ms. Gutierrez-Reed using Mr. Reed’s last name in court, pointing out in a filing that he is her stepfather and that she started using his last name about three years ago when she was seeking to “gain recognition” in the film industry. Mr. Bowles said the prosecution had no right to dictate what the defendant calls herself, and that she considered Mr. Reed a father because he had raised her since she was young.
It is unclear whether Ms. Gutierrez-Reed will take the stand herself.
Will Alec Baldwin take the stand?
Mr. Baldwin is not expected to take the stand. He is facing his own charge of involuntary manslaughter — to which he has pleaded not guilty — and has the right not to answer questions that could incriminate him.
Why has it taken over two years to reach trial?
There have been numerous twists and turns in the prosecution of Ms. Gutierrez-Reed and Mr. Baldwin. When they were initially charged by a special prosecutor in 2023, their defense teams noted that they were being improperly charged under a law that took effect after the shooting. The original prosecution team conceded the mistake, reducing the potential prison time the defendants faced for that charge to 18 months from six and a half years.
Mr. Baldwin’s legal team then challenged the special prosecutor’s ability to serve both as a prosecutor and a state legislator at the same time, leading a new prosecution team to take over. The new special prosecutors, Ms. Morrissey and Mr. Lewis, dismissed the case against Mr. Baldwin pending a further review of the evidence and then brought it back last month. But the case against Ms. Gutierrez-Reed has only grown since they took over. In addition to the evidence tampering charge, the prosecutors charged Ms. Gutierrez-Reed with unlawful carrying of a firearm in a liquor establishment in a separate case.
Has the movie been finished?
Last year, much of the original cast and crew of “Rust” reconvened in Montana to finish the movie’s filming in what the production described as a tribute to Ms. Hutchins, with her husband as an executive producer. No release date has been announced.
