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's criminal trial is scheduled to begin on July 9 in Santa Fe, N.M. for his role in the death of cinematographer .

The actor was holding a .45-caliber Colt prop revolver when it discharged a live round of ammunition, killing Hutchins and wounding the film's director. In interviews, Baldwin has maintained his innocence — " " — something his lawyers must now prove in court, but the Emmy winner's alleged culpability is a bit more complicated than that.



Baldwin was indicted for involuntary manslaughter and faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted. armorer was convicted on the same charge in March. At Gutierrez-Reed's sentencing hearing, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the weapons handler appeared to show no remorse and handed down the max sentence of 18 months.

Baldwin now faces the same judge, same charge and a new jury. Legal experts break down what that means and what to expect during the trial. Criminal defense attorney , of Johnson Criminal Law Group in Irvine, Calif.

, says it's "not uncommon." "As a result, the judge will already be familiar with much of the facts but has to start completely from scratch to evaluate the evidence in making rulings on motions and objections," she tells Yahoo Entertainment. On June 28, Judge Sommer denied Baldwin's final attempt to dismiss the case.

The actor's defense team argued that prosecutors "intentionally" destroyed key evidence as the FBI damaged the firearm while testing if the gun could fire without the trigger being pulled. C.

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