New Mexico vs. Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed - Shooting death of Halyna Hutchins on "RUST" movie set *CASE DISMISSED*

‘Rust’ Prosecutors Make It Easy to Find All of Alec Baldwin’s Court Docs

Due to the "high volume of requests," New Mexico authorities are putting everything they have online.

www.indiewire.com

Brian Welk
Feb 2, 2023 2:35 pm

You normally wouldn’t expect this level of accessibility from a government bureaucracy, but the demand to see Alec Baldwin’s public court documents in the “Rust” case have been so high that authorities are just putting it all online. And they’re sending out press releases touting the portal.

New Mexico district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, who formally charged Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with two counts of involuntary manslaughter each on Tuesday, has now launched an online portal via the state’s courts. She’s now asking media and the public to access anything and everything pertaining to the “Rust” case there.

If you visit nmcourts.gov, there’s a tab along the left rail that says “High Profile Cases.” Beneath it are all the criminal court documents for the cases against Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed and “Rust” assistant director David Halls, who had already agreed to a plea deal (and was subsequently charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon). It’s an easy-access, one-stop shop for all your information on one of the most troubling stories to rock Hollywood in years!

 

[Cousin Dupree]

So they used a "real" gun. Wouldn't the blanks look different that real ammo? Whenever I pick up a firearm that's being used at the range with my friends, I check the chamber. Every. single. time. Gun safety 101. If there are live rounds present, that MUST be done.

The blanks do look different. The story I heard is that some of the guys took the guns out to a field and replaced the blanks with real bullets to do some target shooting during a lunch break. It appears that when the guns were put back they still had real bullets in them because some moron forgot to put the blanks back in.

Will Smith made a video about gun safety on the set and if the people working on the film had done what he teaches there wouldn't have been a problem. I don't know what the smith video says, but I'd think to open the gun to where the bullets are stored and check they are all blanks. I don't think they do this, but they should have some kind of large, can't miss large, target that a gun can be fired at to ensure no live bullets are in it. I also don't know how different blanks look from real bullets. If they are even close to similar that needs to change. Put an orange stripe on the thing or something.

However, they can do stuff like that with CGI now, so they should do that.

What really bothers me is that they are going to complete the film. I don't want to see it, anyone who knows about this tragic death probably won't want to see it either

 

[Guess Who]

So they used a "real" gun. Wouldn't the blanks look different that real ammo? Whenever I pick up a firearm that's being used at the range with my friends, I check the chamber. Every. single. time. Gun safety 101. If there are live rounds present, that MUST be done.

Which is exactly why they had an armorer on the set and she supposedly handed him the gun and told him it was cleared. My understanding is not that they always look different, but they feel different and a person that was supposed to be trained as an armorer would know the difference instantly.

 

[Guess Who]

The blank

The blanks do look different. The story I heard is that some of the guys took the guns out to a field and replaced the blanks with real bullets to do some target shooting during a lunch break. It appears that when the guns were put back they still had real bullets in them because some moron forgot to put the blanks back in.

Will Smith made a video about gun safety on the set and if the people working on the film had done what he teaches there wouldn't have been a problem. I don't know what the smith video says, but I'd think to open the gun to where the bullets are stored and check they are all blanks. I don't think they do this, but they should have some kind of large, can't miss large, target that a gun can be fired at to ensure no live bullets are in it. I also don't know how different blanks look from real bullets. If they are even close to similar that needs to change. Put an orange stripe on the thing or something.

However, they can do stuff like that with CGI now, so they should do that.

What really bothers me is that they are going to complete the film. I don't want to see it, anyone who knows about this tragic death probably won't want to see it either

and again, that is the explicit job of the armorer to check.

 

[Kimster]

Which is exactly why they had an armorer on the set and she supposedly handed him the gun and told him it was cleared. My understanding is not that they always look different, but they feel different and a person that was supposed to be trained as an armorer would know the difference instantly.

I was looking it up and yes, it appears you'd still need the shell casing, but it is filled with paper or something along that line. I imagine the rounds would be much lighter. Still! I agree with the emu <shudder> that they should be a different color or something.

Armorer or whoever, I would still check those rounds before pulling the trigger. Gun safety is gun safety - I don't care who or where you are!

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Trial of `Rust' Script Supervisor's Case Delayed Until 2024 - MyNewsLA.com

In part to protect Alec Baldwin’s right against self-incrimination in the criminal case stemming from the fatal accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021, a judge has delayed trial of the movie’s script supervisor’s civil lawsuit against the...

mynewsla.com

by Contributing Editor
March 8, 2023

In part to protect Alec Baldwin’s right against self-incrimination in the criminal case stemming from the fatal accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021, a judge has delayed trial of the movie’s script supervisor’s civil lawsuit against the actor from May until early 2024.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker signed an order Tuesday rescheduling the start of trial of plaintiff Mamie Mitchell’s case from May 17 to Feb. 21, 2024. Mitchell’s suit, originally filed in November 2021, names multiple defendants in addition to Baldwin. She alleges she suffered physical and emotional damages.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Alec Baldwin ‘Wants His Day in Court’ as Judge Sets Two-Week Hearing in May

Alec Baldwin will face a two-week preliminary hearing, beginning on May 3, in the "Rust" case.

variety.com

Mar 9, 2023 2:27pm PT
By Gene Maddaus

Alec Baldwin will face a two-week evidentiary hearing in a Santa Fe courtroom in May, as prosecutors seek to show there is enough evidence to try him for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

At a brief status conference on Thursday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer scheduled the preliminary hearing to begin on May 3.

Baldwin’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said that the actor “wants his day in court,” and would not agree to delay the hearing much beyond the 60-day statutory deadline.

<snip>
Spiro said the defense wants access to the remnants of Baldwin’s Colt .45, which he said has been “destroyed by the state.”

“That’s obviously an issue,” Spiro said. “We’re going to have to see that firearm or what’s left of it.”

According to an FBI report, the gun’s internal components fractured during testing. The FBI concluded that the gun was functioning normally before it broke.

The judge also scheduled a March 27 hearing on Baldwin’s motion to disqualify Andrea Reeb, the appointed special prosecutor. Baldwin’s lawyers have argued that Reeb is ineligible to prosecute the case because she is also a New Mexico state legislator.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Case: State Refutes Destroying Gun in Shooting

The embattled actor's attorney divulged the information to the court at a hearing.

www.etonline.com

By Miguel A. Melendez‍
3:33 PM PST, March 9, 2023

Alec Baldwin's attorney, Alex Spiro, told First Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer at a Thursday hearing in New Mexico that his legal team, as part of its discovery, wanted to see the gun that killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Except there's one problem -- Spiro said the state destroyed the gun, but the state refuted the assertion.

"The court, I don't think, is aware at this point, but I think I should tell the court that the firearm in this case was destroyed by the state," Spiro said during the virtual hearing. "So, that’s obviously an issue and we’re going to have to see that firearm, or what’s left of it."

In a statement to ET, First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the gun in question still exists.

"The gun Alec Baldwin used in the shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins has not been destroyed by the state. The gun is in evidence and is available for the defense to review," Carmack-Altwies said. "The defense's unexpected statement in the status hearing today that the gun had been destroyed by the state may be a reference to a statement in the FBI's July 2022 firearms testing report that said damage was done to internal components of the gun during the FBI's functionality testing. However, the gun still exists and can be used as evidence."

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Special prosecutor steps down in case against Alec Baldwin

A special prosecutor who doubles as a state legislator is stepping down from her role in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin in the death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set

abcnews.go.com

ByMORGAN LEE Associated Press
March 14, 2023, 10:08 PM

SANTA FE, N.M. -- A special prosecutor who doubles as a state legislator is stepping down from her role in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin in the death of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set.

Baldwin’s legal team in February sought to disqualify special prosecutor and Republican state Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis based on constitutional provisions that safeguard the separation of powers between distinct branches of government.

Reeb said in a statement Tuesday that she “will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand.”

“It has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts,” Reeb said.

 

[Mel70]

Based on the facts I've read. It wasn't his job or responsibility to check the gun. People took out the blanks to target shoot. The armorers job. He was told it was cleared. 3 reasons he isn't responsible. I believe he was confident it was safe to fire and it wasn't him being reckless. And IMO I don't think people are taking into account that he has to live with this. No matter what.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Alec Baldwin slams prosecution over 'improper' public statements, says right to fair trial 'threatened'

Alec Baldwin's legal team called out the prosecution for "improper" public statements and other behavior it says has violated the actor's constitutional rights.

www.foxnews.com

Published March 22, 2023 5:55pm EDT
By Lauryn Overhultz | Fox News

Alec Baldwin's legal team withdrew a motion to have a special prosecutor in the "Rust" case disqualified after Andrea Reeb willingly removed herself, but it used the opportunity to call out the prosecution for "improper" behavior.

Despite withdrawing the motion, Baldwin did not waive his right to bring up the issue of disqualification in the future, according to documents filed with the court March 21. According to the filing, Reeb sent an email June 9, 2022, to the district attorney saying she wanted it to be known she was working on Baldwin's case as it "might help [her] in [her] campaign."

Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, called the move by state Rep. Reeb a "further abuse of the system" in a statement to Fox News Digital.

<snip>
The prosecution made a handful of statements to the media throughout the case, most notably after Baldwin filed a motion to disqualify Reeb and after the DA chose to drop the firearm enhancement.

A spokesperson for the DA told media after the motion was filed that Baldwin's legal team could "use whatever tactics they want to distract from the fact that Halyna Hutchins died because of gross negligence and reckless disregard for the safety on the ‘Rust’ film set."

Baldwin's lawyers argued the statement gave an "opinion on the guilt or innocence" of the actor.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Plea hearing postponed again for 'Rust' assistant director

"Rust" assistant director David Halls' plea hearing was rescheduled again. It will happen March 31, instead of March 29.

www.kob.com

Jonathan Fjeld | KOB
1 hour ago

SANTA FE, N.M. — A plea hearing for “Rust” assistant director David Halls is postponed for the second time.

Halls’ hearing will take place Friday, March 31 at 10 a.m., instead of Wednesday, March 29 at 10 a.m. The court already rescheduled the hearing to March 29, instead of March 8.

The assistant director faces a petty misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. He has reportedly signed a plea agreement that calls for a suspended sentence and a $500 fine.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Judge: District attorney can't be co-counsel in Baldwin case

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge said Santa Fe’s district attorney shouldn’t serve as co-counsel in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 movie rehearsal. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Monday said...

www.abqjournal.com

BY MORGAN LEE / ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONDAY, MARCH 27TH, 2023 AT 8:11PM

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge said Santa Fe’s district attorney shouldn’t serve as co-counsel in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 movie rehearsal. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Monday said the district attorney should either lead the case on her own or turn it over entirely to another prosecutor.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

DA appoints 'Rust' special prosecutors ahead of Friday hearing

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced Wednesday she is appointing two special prosecutors in the Rust case, just days before a scheduled hearing in First Judicial District Court that would have

www.santafenewmexican.com

• By Nathan Lederman nlederman@sfnewmexican.com
• Mar 29, 2023 Updated 26 min ago

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced Wednesday she is appointing two special prosecutors in the Rust case, just days before a scheduled hearing in First Judicial District Court that would have determined whether Carmack-Altwies or private attorneys would prosecute Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Longtime New Mexico attorneys Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis have been named special prosecutors according to a Wednesday email announcement. As a result, the hearing originally scheduled for Friday has been canceled, Barry Massey, spokesman for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, said in an email.

"My responsibility to the people of the First Judicial District is greater than any one case, which is why I have chosen to appoint a special prosecutor in the Rust case. Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis will unflinchingly pursue justice in the death of Halyna Hutchins on behalf of the people of First Judicial District," Carmack-Altwies said in her statement.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Court accepts plea for David Halls for his role in "Rust" movie shooting

Prosecutors have proposed a plea agreement with safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls regarding his involvement in the western movie “Rust” and the death of Halyna Hutchins.

www.koat.com

Updated: 10:48 AM MDT Mar 31, 2023
The Associated Press

A judge approved a plea agreement to resolve a weapons-related charge Friday against a codefendant in the case against actor Alec Baldwin for the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on a movie set.

Prosecutors announced in January a proposed plea agreement with safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls regarding his responsibilities in the Western movie “Rust” and the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Halls has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent or unsafe use of a deadly weapon, pending a court review of the plea proposal. Complete terms of the agreement have not been made public.

Halls is likely to be sentenced Friday if State District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer authorizes the plea agreement.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

'Rust' assistant director Dave Halls pleads no contest, gets 6 months suspended jail sentence

"Rust" assistant director Dave Halls received a suspended six-month jail sentence after pleading no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon.

www.usatoday.com

Marco della Cava
USA TODAY
March 31, 2023

Dave Halls, the assistant director on the New Mexico set of "Rust" where an accidental shooting in 2021 killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, received a suspended six-month jail sentence in his plea hearing Friday in New Mexico court.

Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon and the unsafe handling of a firearm and received a "suspended six-month sentence with unsupervised probation," the case's presiding judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, explained to the defendant.

Sommer told Halls he could have asked for a court case. "Are you willing to give up that right?" she asked. "Yes, your honor," answered Halls, who appeared via video.

Sommers added that Halls also would be required to testify in all hearings involving any and all defendants in the case, had to pay a $500 fine, attend a firearm safety course within 60 days, and have no contact with witnesses and co-defendants in the case.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Alec Baldwin will skip preliminary hearing for on-set ‘Rust’ shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin has been granted permission to skip a preliminary hearing next month in the on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

www.nydailynews.com

By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
Apr 11, 2023 at 8:47 am

Actor Alec Baldwin has been granted permission to skip a preliminary hearing next month in the on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

A waiver of appearance was filed by Baldwin and his legal team over the weekend, and approved by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Monday.

<snip>
Baldwin was scheduled to appear in court for a two-week preliminary hearing, set to begin on May 3. It is being held to determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial after the death of Hutchins, a cinemaphotographer who was shot and killed while working on the set of the Western “Rust.”

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Baldwin Seeks Stay of 2nd Civil Case Pending Outcome of Criminal Proceedings - MyNewsLA.com

In order to protect his right against self-incrimination in the criminal case, Alec Baldwin is asking a judge to put on hold a second civil suit filed against him and other defendants stemming from the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in...

mynewsla.com

by Contributing Editor
April 18, 2023

In order to protect his right against self-incrimination in the criminal case, Alec Baldwin is asking a judge to put on hold a second civil suit filed against him and other defendants stemming from the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.

Attorneys for the “Glengarry Glen Ross” actor filed court papers on Thursday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker stating that Baldwin’s Fifth Amendment rights will be jeopardized in the criminal case if a lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ parents and sister is not stayed pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. Baldwin, 64, and 25-year-old armorer Hannah Guttierez-Reed are charged with involuntary manslaughter.

<snip>
The Hutchins family suit was filed Feb. 9 on behalf of Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey; father, Anatolii Androsovych; and younger sister, Svetlana Zemko. All three are Ukrainian citizens who live near Kiev. In 2022, a separate legal action filed by Hutchins’ husband was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, with a stipulation that the filming of “Rust” would continue with Matthew Hutchins serving as a producer.

<snip>
Hearings on the motions by Mitchell and the Hutchins relatives to stay the case are scheduled for June 8 and July 13, respectively.

 

[Guess Who]

Baldwin Seeks Stay of 2nd Civil Case Pending Outcome of Criminal Proceedings - MyNewsLA.com

In order to protect his right against self-incrimination in the criminal case, Alec Baldwin is asking a judge to put on hold a second civil suit filed against him and other defendants stemming from the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in...

mynewsla.com

by Contributing Editor
April 18, 2023

In order to protect his right against self-incrimination in the criminal case, Alec Baldwin is asking a judge to put on hold a second civil suit filed against him and other defendants stemming from the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.

Attorneys for the “Glengarry Glen Ross” actor filed court papers on Thursday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker stating that Baldwin’s Fifth Amendment rights will be jeopardized in the criminal case if a lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ parents and sister is not stayed pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. Baldwin, 64, and 25-year-old armorer Hannah Guttierez-Reed are charged with involuntary manslaughter.

<snip>
The Hutchins family suit was filed Feb. 9 on behalf of Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey; father, Anatolii Androsovych; and younger sister, Svetlana Zemko. All three are Ukrainian citizens who live near Kiev. In 2022, a separate legal action filed by Hutchins’ husband was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, with a stipulation that the filming of “Rust” would continue with Matthew Hutchins serving as a producer.

<snip>
Hearings on the motions by Mitchell and the Hutchins relatives to stay the case are scheduled for June 8 and July 13, respectively.

So they are admitting that he knows a LOT more than what is being said???

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Alec Baldwin Not Absolved In Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting Despite Planned Dropping Of Charges, Prosecutors Say – Update

Criminal charges will be dropped against Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

deadline.com

By Dominic Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro
April 20, 2023 12:03pm

EXCLUSIVE: (Updated with Baldwin lawyer statement) Less than two weeks before a mini-trial is scheduled to begin in New Mexico over the October 2021 killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, all charges are going to be dropped against Alec Baldwin, for now.

Recently appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to be filing paperwork soon, perhaps even today, to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter claims against the multi-Emmy-winning actor without prejudice, we hear. That means, as they are set to investigate further into what actually went down that terrible day on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set near Santa Fe, this case could be resurrected in the future.

 

[Cousin Dupree]

Alec Baldwin Not Absolved In Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting Despite Planned Dropping Of Charges, Prosecutors Say – Update

Criminal charges will be dropped against Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

deadline.com

By Dominic Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro
April 20, 2023 12:03pm

EXCLUSIVE: (Updated with Baldwin lawyer statement) Less than two weeks before a mini-trial is scheduled to begin in New Mexico over the October 2021 killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, all charges are going to be dropped against Alec Baldwin, for now.

Recently appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to be filing paperwork soon, perhaps even today, to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter claims against the multi-Emmy-winning actor without prejudice, we hear. That means, as they are set to investigate further into what actually went down that terrible day on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set near Santa Fe, this case could be resurrected in the future.

I don't get why he was charged at all.