Alec Baldwin to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in ‘Rust’ movie set shooting

Prosecutors have already made one such deal with assistant director David Halls. According to the Thursday press release, Halls agreed to plead guilty to one charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, and will receive just six months probation.
Rahmani described Hall's plea agreement as a "sweetheart deal" that could be the DA's way of "sending a message to Baldwin and his attorneys that if you don't play ball, if you don't plead guilty, that I'm going to file that firearms enhancement."

 

Baldwin was grossly negligent,
An innocent person is dead,
He has shown no remorse,
He has accepted no responsibility for his actions.

 

Can you imagine if this was actor James Woods screaming to go to Washington DC and threatening to kill Democrats, their wives and their children like this idiot Alec Baldwin wanted to do to Republicans. This guy NEEDS! some serious jail time and then go to a mental asylum.

 

The hypocrisy in this situation with Alec Baldwin is three fold. First, that it is the politics of alec Baldwin that the "pro gun" groups want him to be charged. It has nothing to do with the facts of the case. Second, we have accidental shootings all the time and in most of that time, the "pro gun" crowd, especially if it is one of their own, will not want that person to be charged under similar circumstances. And third, based on the facts of the case, the DA is charging them not based truly on the facts of the case, but politics.

If you look at the facts of the case, several problematic arguments will arise. For starters, in the movie industry, Actors are only allowed to act and are not even allowed to set up chairs, or sets, or anything else. There are other guilds for that who do those specific jobs on the set. The person responsible is the weapons specialist who must ensure the weapon is clear. Second, there was a lot of moving parts on that set before the fatal shot ranging from changing where and how the scene was to be shot in what direction to the moving of the camera to other things. So, there is plenty of reasonable doubt that is in play here. The question is whether or not the jury will agree to that reasonable doubt and I give the jury a 70% chance of agreeing that there is reasonable doubt on all counts.

 

Couldn't disagree more. Politics is a component, but what I see most of all is a blue state prosecutor looking to make a name for herself with a high profile & winnable case. The more we learn about how Mrs. Hutchins was killed, the more we learn about those responsible, including Baldwin. As far as guilds and specifically assigned responsibilities are concerned, we know the amorer (whom you call the weapons specialist) wasn't even there. Baldwin took the gun from an assistant director who was neither qualified nor authorized to A) verify the weapon was safe, and B) hand it off to anyone. Baldwin knew that and grabbed the gun anyway.

Baldwin has publicly gone into great detail about how the amorer is the only crewmember from whom actors should ever accept a prop gun. His conduct is bass ackwards from what his own pronouncements define as the appropriate & authorized procedures. Had he followed those protocols, Mrs. Hutchins would be alive and well. Having chosen to ignore those protocols, Baldwin became the last line of defense and couldn't be bothered to care. It's going to be very easy for the prosecution to paint a very unflattering portrait of AB.

 

Veteran prop master turned down ‘Rust’ gig over ‘massive red flags’

A veteran prop master has revealed he was offered the job to work on Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” — but turned it down after “massive red flags” left him convinced it was “an accident waiting to happen.”

Neal Zoromski told the Los Angeles Times that he was approached on Sept. 20 and initially said he was “very interested” to work on the Baldwin-produced Western.

But during four days of negotiations, he became alarmed that “Rust” appeared to be a slapdash production that put saving money over people’s safety, he told the California paper.

“There were massive red flags,” he said, saying that he emailed to turn down the gig...

...“As the prop master, you have to be concerned about safety. I’m the guy who hands the guns to the people on set,” he said.

One of his key concerns had been that producers — who only had a budget of $7 million — refused his request to also hire both an assistant prop master and an armorer.

Days after he turned down the job, Hannah Gutierrez Reed — a 24-year-old ex-model who’d only been armorer once before — announced she’d gotten the job as the “property key assistant/armorer,” the paper said.

Just months ago, she admitted she was scared of taking on such jobs because of her lack of experience...

AB's net worth is $60 million according to google, & he's just one of several producers/investors. Instead of allocating some of that money to keep his crew safe, they hired a model instead. Ebeneezer Scrooge should look like Mother Theresa once the prosecution is done painting its picture of AB.

 

Being on a movie set complicates things and will make it impossible for someone to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. There are these guilds. The Screen Actors Guild only allows Actors to work. They can't help move chairs, or move the set, or build the set. etc. Other guilds do that type of work. Thus, the argument of gun safety is only hinged on the weapons expert who is the professional and whose only job is to make sure the gun is safe to use. That's it. And when that is explained, thoroughly, then that creates reasonable doubt, at least for Alec Baldwin.

My suspicion is that the DA will try them together. Alec Baldwin's lawyer will argue to separate the two and will probably win. If that happens, it will be easier for Alec Baldwin to create enough reasonable doubt. And the DA will lose this case because of reasonable doubt.

 

Politics is a huge component and is why the "pro-gun" crowd will never defend someone like Alec Baldwin. They don't like his politics. That being said, Most people who are killed accidentally, the person that did it is not charged at all, not even the parents of the case. Only in a few cases are they and there are other factors in play here.

There were a lot of moving parts to this case. For starters, it started with the crew playing with the gun that HAD live bullets. Second, when it came to the set, the set had to be moved and changed in directions in order to align with the sunlight and other factors. That is the screen director's job. And then Alec Baldwin made a few practice movements with the gun. And then the real thing happened and it fired. I can make the argument that Ms. Higgins was in the wrong spot at the wrong time and ignored the warnings that the scene was about to go "live." I can also make the argument that the actor while on the set is not responsible for anything except ACTING and how ACTING entails. And there are a few other arguments that can be made. In summary, all of this is going to cause reasonable doubt under the law for Alec Baldwin. It's a movie set. and on a movie set, there are particular procedures that are adhered to. But I guess you are one of those folks that think movies is reality and reality is movies. Right?

 

And what happens if you did that anyway and the gun STILL fired? Would you arrest yourself or are you forgetting the most important rule about which gun is the most dangerous gun?

 

This is the same guy who was on the set of "Crow" where Brandon Lee was killed.

 

What has the "pro-gun" crowd to do with AB being charged in a blue state? The only examples of the scary "pro-gun" crowd you've been able to cite are those you're arguing with on an anonymous board.

Which you then go on to delineate - except for the weapon safety protocols. The "moving part" that mandates that only the amorer should be handing the weapon to the actor. The same protocol Baldwin has publicly preached is the only way to go; the regimen he chose to ignore.

Nope. I agree with Baldwin's public statements on the issue. You'd be more compelling if you stopped trying to put words in other people's mouths. The REALITY is that Baldwin wasn't using a prop gun at all. Genuine prop guns are configured to accept only blanks; live rounds won't fit. The .45 caliber live round that killed Mrs. Hutchins fit perfectly into AB's Pietta replica Colt Model P, exactly as it was designed to. Which everyone on the set knew, because live rounds had previously been fired - on that set, from that weapon. Which was the impetuous for other crewmembers staging a walkout over safety concerns.

The REALITY is AB took the gun from someone who was neither qualified nor authorized to verify its safety, let alone give it to anyone.

Any idea what he was hired to do on that set 20 years ago? Or if he was hired? The Crow IMDB page doesn't list him anywhere in the crew credits. In any event, it sounds like he knows what he's talking about in the here & now. It's instructive how you've been unable to refute anything he's said about the Baldwin shooting.

 

Which could be exculpatory for AB if he was only an actor in the production. As a producer he is also obliged to ensure that ALL safety protocols are in place and observed by competents professionals.

 

Picking nits: I suspect everyone on the set signs a contract obliging compliance with relevant policies & procedures, especially those who will be involved in gunplay. But your point is taken - he is one of the producers. Plus he's a veteran, not a rookie.

 

I really was not trying to, just found that to be a serious fact in play.

I am not familiar with all details of production, but even if they do, it can only apply to aspects that pertains to their "part" in the production. In other words the lighting guy will not be involved in gun safety matters.

 

I wasn't indicting you for anything; just acknowledging that I was about to do some nitpicking. You and I do not disagree.

 

My bad, I misunderstood.

 

Then obviously you screwed up checking the gun and yes, you'd be responsible.

 

Somehow, if that ever happened to you, you won't admit that to the police who would be investigating it.

 

A. The pro-gun crowd are the ones hyping on Alec Baldwin specifically, but when it comes to their own, they will do the exact opposite and say, "it's a terrible accident and no crime has occurred."
B. LOL, I went by what you wrote unless you think everyone has ESP. But from your posts and discussions with other members, it appears you were siding that Alec Baldwin should be charged and should be found guilty. As I have pointed out, there is enough reasonable doubt out there for a jury not to convict if the jury believes what the defense tells them.
C. It was a movie set and you need to understand the dynamics of what happens on a movie set. So far, you have not demostrated that or you are intentionally ignoring that. It is those factors that come out to play here. The way the DA describes it, it is like Alec Baldwin was out in public, playing in the street, someone handed him the gun, and he fired at her. And that is not exactly the case here.

 

Something I've never, stated, suggested, or implied. You'll do a little better if you don't try to speak for me, but color me unsurprised your knee-jerk tactic is fabricating fictions about those you disagree with. Just another day that ends in Y.

While conveniently ignoring the analyses of industry experts like Steve Wolf and Neal Zormoski.

Now you're just making stuff up. Kindly cite where Mary Carmack-Altwies has stated, suggested or implied anything of the kind. Keep on telling fairy tales - you're good at it. It's lame, but at least it's childish. So you have that going for you.

 

deleted

 

Lol.....what I would and wouldn't admit wouldn't change who's fault it is. If I didn't check, my fault. If I screwed up checking the gun, my fault.

 

That only applies to the little people who don't understand the "dynamics" of movie making. Certainly not to elite thespians like St. Alec.

 

Looks like this is going to happen tomorrow.

Alec Baldwin to be formally charged Tuesday in Halyna Hutchins’ death

Alec Baldwin will be formally charged with involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Criminal charges against the “30 Rock” star, along with the Western film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were announced earlier this month, though not officially filed.

“The District Attorney and the special prosecutor are fully focused on securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” said Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies’ office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “The evidence and the facts speak for themselves.”

https://nypost.com/2023/01/30/alec-baldwin-to-be-formally-charged-in-halyna-hutchins-death/

 

Picking nits from the article: Baldwin fired the prop gun — which contained a live bullet that killed married mom Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza, 49, on the set in October 2021.

Genuine prop guns are just that: props. They're configured to accept only blanks. Baldwin's replica Colt Model P is as real as it gets, along with the .45 caliber slug that killed Mrs. Hutchins.

SMH why real guns would ever be used on a movie set. If I had to wager, I'd guess that prop guns may be more expensive than the real thing? It's been widely reported they were cutting corners wherever they could, including not hiring an experienced armorer. On a set utilizing real guns instead of props, that seems pretty negligent.