Alec Baldwin Gets The Best Justice Money Can Buy

Prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Baldwin, while his working-class employees take the fall, proving we have two systems of justice.

Alec Baldwin catches major break, will now face significantly less prison time if convicted for 'Rust' shooting



Alec Baldwin is counting his lucky stars.

New Mexico prosecutors announced Monday they have dropped the firearm enhancement against him, which would significantly reduce his prison sentence should he be convicted of manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" in October 2021.

What is the background?

Last month, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced two counts of involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

The involuntary manslaughter charge, a fourth-degree felony, carries a prison sentence of 18 months. But prosecutors also added a firearm enhancement, which carries a minimum of five years in prison.

What is happening now?

On Monday, the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office announced that it had dropped the firearm enhancement against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. Court documents show the enhancement was dropped last Friday.

"In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the 'Rust' film set," Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. "The prosecution's priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys."

Lawyers for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have argued that applying the firearm enhancement in the case is unconstitutional because it became law after the shooting.

After Baldwin was charged, legal experts predicted that Baldwin would face significantly less prison time if convicted than the initial charges suggested. That is precisely because the ex post facto clause in Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from retroactively bringing criminal charges for crimes committed before a law is passed.

Baldwin's lawyers, therefore, accused New Mexico prosecutors of committing a "basic legal error" by retroactively charging Baldwin under a law that had not yet existed when the alleged crime was committed.

Baldwin is set to make his first court appearance on Friday, Axios reported.

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Alec Baldwin takes aim at 'Rust' crew members with lawsuit, seeks to hold them 'accountable for their misconduct' after he fatally shot a mother on set



Alec Baldwin, apparently keen to further displace blame and liability for the accidental 2021 shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, has filed a lawsuit against several crew members working on the scandal-plagued film "Rust."

The 64-year-old gun-control activist, who is himself accused in another lawsuit of "recklessly" firing the prop weapon, asserted in his complaint that the film's armorer, its first assistant director, and others failed to maintain safety on set.

The actor's complaint

The shooting took place on Oct. 21, 2021, during the filming of a low-rent western in New Mexico.

Baldwin was allegedly practicing drawing a vintage Colt revolver, which he believed to have been loaded with dummy rounds, when he unwittingly discharged a real bullet. According to the Wrap, the Colt was used by crew members earlier that day for live-ammunition target practice.

The errant bullet hit 42-year-old mother and cinematographer Haylyna Hutchens in the chest and struck director Joel Souza in the clavicle.

After being shot by the Democrat actor, Hutchins' last words were reportedly, "That was no good. That was no good at all."

Baldwin's lawsuit filed on Friday names the following crew members as defendants:

  • Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer in charge of handling firearms and ammo on set — accused to have failed to check the gun or ammo carefully;
  • Dave Halls, the first assistant director, who handed the gun to Baldwin and allegedly said it was safe — accused of failing to check the gun properly;
  • Sarah Zachry, the prop master — accused of failing in her duties to ensure gun and ammo safety on set; and
  • Seth Kenney, reportedly the key supplier of firearms and ammo to the set.

The New York Times reported that Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, wrote in the complaint that these individuals had not fulfilled their professional duty to maintain safety on the set of "Rust."

According to the lawsuit, "This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun."

Nikas wrote, “Gutierrez-Reed failed to check the bullets or the gun carefully, Halls failed to check the gun carefully and yet announced the gun was safe before handing it to Baldwin, and Zachry failed to disclose that Gutierrez-Reed had been acting recklessly off set and was a safety risk to those around her."

The lawsuit also cited an FBI report indicating that live bullets were scattered around the set, and were even contained within the bandoleer Baldwin had been wearing when he accidentally shot Hutchins.

According to the New York Post, the actor's aim with this lawsuit is to "clear his name" and hold the defendants "accountable for their misconduct."

Like the actor, those named in Baldwin's lawsuit have similarly denied culpability for the 42-year-old mother's slaying.

On Oct. 27, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office submitted its final investigative report into the shooting to the Santa Fe County District Attorney's Office. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has yet to announce whether her office will file criminal charges.

Although Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement with her family, a spokesman for Carmack-Altwies made clear that the settlement "in Matthew Hutchins’ wrongful death case against Rust movie producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis' ongoing investigation or her ultimate decision whether to file criminal charges in the case."

Hollywood blame game

Mamie Mitchell, a script supervisor on "Rust," had been standing just feet away from the gun-control activist when he accidentally shot the cinematographer and director. Mitchell filed a lawsuit against Baldwin and others involved with the film, claiming that the incident caused her "sustained serious physical trauma and shock and injury to her nervous system and person."

Mitchell's lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claimed, "Alec Baldwin intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired the loaded gun even though the upcoming scene to be filmed did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm."

Nikas tried to have his client, Baldwin, dismissed from the lawsuit, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Whitaker denied the motion earlier this month.

The New York Times reported that Serge Svetnoy, a gaffer on the film, also filed a lawsuit last year accusing Baldwin and several crew members of failing to follow safety protocols.

Svetnoy's lawsuit alleged that Baldwin acted negligently and had failed to check that the Colt "was indeed 'cold'" before practicing with it. Additionally, the lawsuit noted that Baldwin was duty-bound to handle the weapon "as if it was loaded and to refrain from pointing it at anyone."

Prosecutor speaks out after Alec Baldwin, 'Rust' production reach settlement: 'No one is above the law'



A New Mexico prosecutor spoke out Wednesday after Alec Baldwin and producers of "Rust" announced a settlement with Halyna Hutchins’ family.

What about the settlement?

After Hutchins was killed on the set of "Rust" last October, Hutchins' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other key members of the "Rust" production.

The exact details of the settlement were not disclosed. But as part of the deal, Hutchins' widower, Matthew Hutchins, will executive-produce "Rust" when production resumes in January 2023.

Hutchins said in a statement:

We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of "Rust," including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed The filming of "Rust," which I will now executive-produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023.

What did the prosecutor say?

New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies made clear the settlement will not deter her from completing her criminal investigation.

"The proposed settlement announced today in Matthew Hutchins’ wrongful death case against Rust movie producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis' ongoing investigation or her ultimate decision whether to file criminal charges in the case," a spokesperson for the DA said in a statement.

"While civil suits are settled privately and often involve financial awards, criminal cases deal only in facts. If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law then charges will be brought," the statement continued.

"No one is above the law," the statement declared.

Anything else?

Last month, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Carmack-Altwies could be preparing criminal charges against Baldwin after she requested more money from the state to help her office prosecute up to four criminal cases in the matter.

"One of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin," documents filed by the DA said.

The prosecutor, however, is not saying much beyond that. But her office did tell the New Mexican that Carmack-Altwies is "certainly looking at all the homicide statutes and any gun statutes under New Mexico criminal code."

Meanwhile, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed last month that his agency is continuing to investigate Hutchins' death and will turn over the case file to the prosecutor's office once the investigation is complete.

Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ producers settle with Halyna Hutchins’ family



The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot and killed on the set of the movie "Rust" last year, has reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this year against the movie's producers, including Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin.

The settlements were announced in statements reported by Deadline. As part of the agreement, Halyna's widower, Matthew Hutchins, will executive-produce "Rust," which will reportedly return to production in January 2023 with the original cast.

“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed,” Hutchins said Wednesday morning.

“The filming of Rust, which I will now executive-produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023,” he added.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed on Oct. 21, 2021, while preparing to film a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Authorities said the film crew was setting a scene when Baldwin pulled the trigger on an old-fashioned gun in his hands. The bullet went through Hutchins' torso and also hit film director Joel Souza. Hutchins died of her injury.

The wrongful death lawsuit accused Baldwin and the other film producers of reckless conduct and aggressive cost-cutting measures that endangered the crew and led to Hutchins' death.

But after the settlement, her husband said her death was a "tragic accident."

"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame," Hutchins said. "All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

Rust Movie Productions LLC released a statement through its attorney on the settlement: "We are pleased the parties came together to resolve this matter, which, subject to court approval, marks an important step forward in celebrating Halyna’s life and honoring her work.”

In a statement, Souza remembered Hutchins as an "exceedingly talented, kind, creative, and a source of incredible positive energy."

"I only wish the world had gotten to know her under different circumstances, as it surely would have through her amazing work. In my own attempts to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film could only make sense for me if it was done with the involvement of Matt and the Hutchins family. Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.”

An attorney for Alec Baldwin added: "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

Baldwin gave his own statement on Instagram Wednesday morning.

“We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins," Baldwin said. "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

The Santa Fe sheriff's office has not charged anyone related to the shooting incident.

Alec Baldwin says he was following orders from Halyna Hutchins when handling gun, claims contract protects him from shooting death lawsuits: Docs



Alec Baldwin refused to take any responsibility for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the movie "Rust," according to a new filing. The Hollywood actor also argued that his contract protects him financially from any deaths that occurred during the filming of the movie in New Mexico.

New details about the "Rust" shooting death emerged through a court filing on Friday.

On Oct. 21, the movie crew were rehearsing a scene inside the church on Bonanza Creek Ranch with Baldwin as the character Harland Rust.

Content warning: Some viewers may find the video disturbing

WATCH \u2014\u00a0Lawyers for Halyna Hutchins released a video re-enacting the movie-set shooting showing when she was killed by Alec Baldwin\n\nhttps://nypost.com/2022/02/15/alec-baldwin-sued-by-cinematographer-halyna-hutchins-family/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/joRc7SkttM
— Jon Levine (@Jon Levine) 1644962303

The filing states that Hutchins "directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her."

"She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions," court documents read, according to the New York Times. "In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was 'cold' and contained no live rounds."

Baldwin asked Hutchins if she wanted him to pull back the hammer of the gun — as the script instructed — and she said, "Yes," according to the filing.

"Baldwin then pulled back the hammer, but not far enough to actually cock the gun," the filing continued. "When Baldwin let go of the hammer, the gun went off."

The Times noted that the filing described the "confusion and horror after the shooting, as Ms. Hutchins was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead."

Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, claimed that the actor was not responsible for the fatal shooting of the 42-year-old Hutchins.

"Someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin," Nikas wrote in the filing. "This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin."

The filing asserts that "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed told Baldwin, "It was her job to check the gun — not his."

"An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe," the filing said. "That is the responsibility of other people on the set."

Nikas also claimed that Baldwin's contract absolved him of any financial repercussions from death during the filming of "Rust." Nikas said that there is a clause in Baldwin's contract with Rust Movie Productions L.L.C. that releases the actor from financial responsibility for legal fees or claims stemming from death on the set of the movie. The document names Rust Movie Productions L.L.C. and producer Ryan Smith as the respondents in the claim.

The filing also said Baldwin was to be paid $250,000 to act and produce the low-budget western. The docs claim that Baldwin returned $100,000 as an "investment" in the movie.

In the weeks following Hutchins' death, Baldwin attempted to persuade the cast and crew of the movie to finish filming to honor Hutchins, according to the filing. Nikas added that there was a plan to give the insurance payout and the film's profits to the Hutchins family.

The court docs revealed that Baldwin exchanged text messages with Matthew Hutchins, the widower of the slain cinematographer. The relationship started off promising with a breakfast in Santa Fe that included Hutchins' 9-year-old son.

"Hutchins hugged Baldwin and told him, 'I guess we’re going to go through this together,'" according to the filing.

However, the relationship took a turn last month when the family of Halyna Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and other producers for their involvement in the deadly shooting.

Mamie Mitchell — the script supervisor for the Western movie — filed a lawsuit against Baldwin in November. The suit claims that Baldwin acted "intentionally, without just cause or excuse" in the lethal shooting.

Also in November, the head of lighting for the movie filed a lawsuit against "Rust" producers, including Alec Baldwin. Key gaffer Serge Svetnoy claimed to have suffered "severe emotional distress" because of the accidental shooting on the set that "will haunt him forever."

On Saturday at the Boulder International Film Festival, Baldwin blasted people who have filed lawsuits against him and said they were only targeting him because he is wealthy.

"What you have is a certain group of people, litigants and whatever ... on whatever side who their attitude is, oh, the people who likely seem negligent have no money, and the people who have money are not negligent, but we're not gonna let that stop us from doing what we need to do in terms of litigation," Baldwin said. "So we have people that are suing people that they think are deep-pocket litigants."

The 63-year-old actor added, "Why sue people if you're not going to get money? That's what you're doing it for."

Husband of killed 'Rust' cinematographer 'so angry' with Alec Baldwin for denying responsibility of shooting, recalls moment he told son that his mother had died



The husband of the "Rust" cinematographer who was shot and killed during the filming of the Western film on Oct. 21 broke his silence in a new interview. Matt Hutchins revealed his frustrations with Alec Baldwin for not taking responsibility for the shooting death of his wife Halyna Hutchins. The mourning widower also recalled the heartbreaking moment that he told his young son that his mother had died.

In a "Today" interview that aired on Thursday, Hutchins – who traveled 2,000 miles to Halyna's native country of Ukraine to propose only three months after they met – revealed how he found out about his wife being shot on the set of the movie.

"A member of the production team told me that Halyna had been shot, and my heart sank right away," Hutchins told host Hoda Kotb. "It was completely inexplicable to me that it could’ve happened at that moment, and the first thing I thought, I sat down, and I said, 'I have to get my son,' because I had to be with him."

"And so I rushed home, and on the way decided that we had to go to Santa Fe," he said. "When I got through to the doctor and spoke with him, and he detailed exactly what had happened and that she didn't survive, I was heartbroken. And I knew that I had to tell my son right away when I saw him."

"I just had to be very direct and blunt because going to pick him up and go to the airport to go to Santa Fe, I didn’t want him to think that we were going to be seeing her and having fun together, and getting his hopes up," Hutchins said of his 9-year-old son, Andros.

"I told him, sitting together, that his mother had been shot and died. And, of course, he didn't believe it right away. He didn't want to believe it," he explained. "I think that that kind of news you just have to say multiple times so that it can be believed. And so he believed it, and we cried together then."

An emotional Hutchins added, "And every holiday [since], Christmas, New Year's, our anniversary, my birthday, Valentine's Day — I mean every holiday is difficult without her. For me and Andros."

Hutchins slammed Alec Baldwin for his ABC News interview in December, where he confidently proclaimed that he is not responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was 42 years old.

In the interview, Baldwin told host George Stephanopoulos, "Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property. Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

When asked if he felt any guilt in the death of the cinematographer, Baldwin responded, "No. No. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly."

Regarding Baldwin's remarks in December, Matthew said, "Watching him, I just felt so angry. I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her."

"Almost sounds like he was the victim," he continued. "Hearing him blame Halyna in the interview, and shift responsibility to others, and seeing him cry about it. I just feel like, 'Are we really supposed to feel bad about you, Mr. Baldwin?'"

"The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me," Hutchins declared.

"But gun safety was not the only problem on that set," he added. "There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced, and there's multiple responsible parties."

The family of Halyna Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other producers for their involvement in the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" on Feb. 15.

"Halyna Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present, instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule, and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations," the lawsuit states.

During the interview, Hutchins was asked, "When do you miss her the most?" After letting out a sigh, Hutchins replied, "I saw a picture of her smiling the other day, and I just thought, 'She'll never smile again.' And that's really hard."

Husband Of 'Rust' Cinematographer Killed On Set Speaks Out www.youtube.com

Family of slain 'Rust' cinematographer sues Alec Baldwin, other producers for 'reckless conduct'



The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer shot and killed during production of the movie "Rust" last year, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against Alec Baldwin and other producers for their involvement in the fatal shooting.

Hutchins, 42, died on Oct. 21 while preparing to film a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The crew was reportedly lining up camera angles when an old-fashioned revolver held by Baldwin went off, sending a bullet through Hutchins's torso. The bullet would go on to strike the film's director, Joel Souza, as well, before lodging in his shoulder.

Hutchins is survived by her husband, Matthew Hutchins, and the couple's 9-year-old son, Andros.

In the lawsuit, the family accused Baldwin and others of reckless conduct and aggressive cost-cutting measures that endangered the crew and ultimately led to Hutchins' death.

"Halyna Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present, instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule, and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations," the lawsuit states, according to the New York Times.

In a news conference held in Los Angeles, California, after filing the suit, attorney Brian Parish said the family is seeking "substantial" and "fair" compensation, noting Matthew "lost his long-term wife who was the love of his life, and his son has lost a mother."

"It is a young boy who will never have a mother," Panish said, according to Yahoo News. "We need to hold the people responsible that engaged in this cost-cutting and reckless behavior causing this senseless death... it never should have happened."

Panish would go on to say that many people are culpable in Hutchins's death, though he singled out Baldwin.

"Mr. Baldwin was the person holding the weapon that, but for him shooting it, she would not have died. So clearly, he has significant portion of liability but there are others and that's what this case is gonna be about," Panish said.

"Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it, Halyna was killed," Panish said. "The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back."

In the months following the tragic incident, Baldwin has expressed remorse but maintained that he was pointing the gun at Hutchins at her request and did not pull the trigger, a claim that has been backed up by "Rust" assistant director, Dave Halls. Baldwin has also maintained that the gun was declared "cold" moments before he took hold of it.

"Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," Baldwin said in December. "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Critics, however, have suggested that guns don't just go off and that Baldwin and others on set appeared to have been breaking the most basic standards of gun safety. Reports surfaced claiming the crew had used firearms used in the movie for live-ammo target practices.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the incident, with a focus on determining how a live round made it onto the set and inside a gun that would be used in the movie.

Alec Baldwin delivers bizarre video rant, invokes Jan. 6 riot and cherished Splenda packet, while vowing to 'find out the truth' in shooting death of 'Rust' cinematographer



Alec Baldwin delivered a bizarre video rant about the investigation of the shooting death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In the nearly five-minute-long Instagram video posted on Saturday, Baldwin said that receiving a Splenda packet from a fan was a "miracle" and referred to the riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

On his verified Instagram account with nearly 2.5 million followers, Baldwin issued an update regarding the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the movie "Rust." Sitting inside his SUV, Baldwin began his video discussing a missing Splenda packet that a neighbor found that had a handwritten note to the Hollywood actor.

"You are 100% true," the fan wrote to Baldwin. "Thanks for the laughs, Good Sir. Cheers to a new year. Love you.”

Baldwin brought his hand to his face and began to chuckle.

"She found the Splenda packet," Baldwin stated. "It's the Splenda packet."

Baldwin asked, "Does this mean that 2022 is going to be a good year? Wouldn't that be nice?"

Speaking of the Splenda packet, Baldwin exclaimed, "That is nothing short of a miracle." He added, "Can you believe something as silly as this has that much value?"

"Putting in pockets now so that I never lose it again," Baldwin stated as he put the small package of sugar substitute in his coat pocket.

Baldwin immediately pivoted from bubbly Splenda miracles to addressing concerning accusations that he is not fully cooperating with authorities in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

"Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that's bulls***, that's a lie," Baldwin declared, adding that authorities "have to specify what exactly they want."

"They can't just go through your phone and take, you know, your photos or your love letters to your wife or what have you," he claimed.

"But of course, we are 1000% going to comply with all that," the actor said. "We are perfectly fine with that."

He then suddenly made another peculiar detour by commenting on the death of Sidney Poitier.

“Sidney Poitier died, he's on the cover of the Daily News, and the cover of the [New York] Post has something else," Baldwin expressed.

On Jan. 8, the cover of the New York Post had a story titled, "Why Won't Alec Help?"

The New York Post article alleged:

Alec Baldwin, who has yet to turn over his cellphone to law enforcement in connection with the law enforcement investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust, may be holding onto the device for a number of reasons, legal experts told The Post on Friday.

The lawyers theorized that the 63-year old actor may be concerned about the possibility of “incriminating” evidence on the phone— including deleted texts or photos that could hold him in criminal contempt–or may simply want to keep his private conversations out of the public eye.

"There could be incriminating evidence on the phone, or it might be for privacy reasons,” said Kevin Kearon, a former Nassau District Attorney’s Office who’s now a criminal defense lawyer.

“If he deleted text messages or call records then he would face the possibility of criminal contempt,” said Kearon, who works at the Long Island firm Barket Epstein Kearon. “Or if there are personal messages, for example, between he and his wife, it’s not shocking that he wouldn’t want them in the public domain.”

Baldwin — who wielded the firearm that shot and killed Hutchins — said, "The best way, the only way, we can honor the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth. That's what I'm working toward, insisting on, demanding."

"Any suggestion that I’m not complying, is a lie," the "30 Rock" actor stated in the video with nearly 200,000 views. "But I have no worries about that. That's all gonna work itself out. Regardless of what they say in these right-wing rag sheets. And people who are all about hate."

Then he curiously made a reference to the Capitol riots, "But setting aside all the hate, setting aside all the January 6th of it all, here it is," before once again presenting the Splenda packet with the compliments to the actor on it.

Alec Baldwin feels no guilt and says he bears no responsibility in deadly 'Rust' shooting, but is bothered by George Clooney's criticism



Alec Baldwin gave an interview to ABC News – the first time the actor has done so since the fatal shooting on the set of his movie "Rust." Baldwin was the one handling the gun that went off and lethally shot "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. However, the actor declared in the ABC News interview that he isn't responsible for the shooting death of the 41-year-old mother.

Baldwin portrayed Harland Rust, an Old West outlaw who "sets out to rescue his 13-year-old grandson Lucas after he is sentenced to hang for an accidental murder and must go on the run from U.S. Marshal Wood Helm and bounty hunter Fenton 'Preacher' Lang," according to entertainment news site Screen Rant.

On the day of the deadly shooting, Baldwin claimed he spoke to Hutchins to go over the scene they would film that day for the low-budget Western movie, set in 1880s Kansas. In the scene, Baldwin's character is severely wounded but manages to draw his gun on two adversaries.

Baldwin said he was handed a .45 Colt revolver by Dave Halls — the film’s first assistant director. Halls allegedly told Baldwin, "This is a cold gun" — meaning the firearm was either empty or not loaded with live rounds.

Lisa Torraco, an attorney representing Halls, previously said it was not her client's responsibility to check the weapon for live ammunition and did not confirm whether Halls presented the gun to Baldwin.

"Whether or not he handed the firearm directly to Alec Baldwin at that moment or whether the armorer handed it directly to Alec Baldwin at that moment doesn't really matter because he didn't load it," Torraco said last month. "He's not responsible for checking it."

"What I can tell you is that expecting an assistant director to check a firearm is like telling the assistant director to check the camera angle or telling the assistant director to check sound or lighting," Torraco added. "That’s not the assistant director’s job. If he chooses to check the firearm because he wants to make sure that everyone is safe, he can do that."

Baldwin asserts that he was taking directions from Hutchins.

"This was a marking rehearsal," Baldwin told host George Stephanopoulos. "And [Hutchins] says to me, 'Hold the gun lower. Go to your right. OK, right there. All right, do that. Now show it a little bit lower.' And she's getting me to position the gun."

"She's guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle," he continued. "I'm holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit."

Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun, but not to fire it: "The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger."

The actor noted, "I cock the gun. I go, 'Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?' And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off."

The bullet struck both "Rust" director Joel Souza and Hutchins. Souza would recover from the gunshot wound, but Hutchins died on the day of the shooting, Oct. 21.

Baldwin recalled the shooting, "[Hutchins] goes down. I thought to myself, ‘Did she faint?' The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me till probably 45 minutes to an hour later."

"At the very end of my interview with the sheriff's department … they said to me, 'We regret to tell you that [Hutchins] didn't make it,'" Baldwin said. "They told me right then and there."

Baldwin contended that he didn't pull the trigger of the gun. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them."

Steve Wolf, a movie armorer with more than 30 years of experience, questioned Baldwin's claims that he didn't pull the trigger.

"On a scale of one to 10? Zero," Wolf told the Wrap. "You know, guns don’t go up by themselves, right? It’s an inanimate object. It has no batteries. It has no timer. It has no web connection. It’s not a smart piece of equipment. It’s a very reliable device that shoots when you press the trigger, and it doesn’t shoot when you don’t press the trigger."

The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting and is waiting for results from the FBI on "how the gun could have been fired, whether that was just pulling back the hammer – which hits the firing pin – just pulling the trigger or both," according to Fox News.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told Fox News, "Guns don't just go off. So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he did that and it was in his hands."

Stephanopoulos noted that experts say never to point a gun at anyone, no matter what.

Baldwin responded, "Unless the person is the cinematographer who's directing me at where to point the gun for her camera angle. That's exactly what happened."

Last month, fellow actor George Clooney questioned whether the fatal shooting could have been averted by Baldwin.

"Every single time I’m handed a gun on the set — every time — they hand me a gun, I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I’m pointing it to, I show it to the crew,” Clooney said during an appearance on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast. "Every single take. You hand it back to the armor when you’re done."

"Maybe Alec did that — hopefully he did do that," Clooney added. "But the problem is dummies are tricky because they look like real [rounds]. They got a little tiny hole in the back [from which] somebody’s [removed] the gunpowder."

Baldwin was bothered by Clooney's commentary on the deadly shooting.

"There were a lot of people who felt it necessary to contribute some comment to the situation, which really didn't help the situation at all," Baldwin griped. "If your protocol is you checking the gun every time, well, good for you. Good for you."

"My protocol was to trust the person that had the job," he scoffed. "And it worked up until this point."

Baldwin confidently proclaimed that he is not responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

"Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," Baldwin said. "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin if he feels guilt in the tragic situation.

"No. No,” Baldwin replied. "I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly."

The actor says the deadly incident has weighed on him.

"I have dreams about this constantly now," he said. "I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse."

Baldwin admitted his Hollywood career could be over, but alleges, "I couldn't give a s**t about my career any more."

He said this is the worst thing that's ever happened to him, adding, "Because I think back, and I think of what could I have done?"

After the shooting, Baldwin met with Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, and his 9-year-old son he shared with Halyna.

"I didn't know what to say," Baldwin revealed. "[Matthew] hugged [me] and he goes, like, 'I suppose you and I are going to go through this together,' he said. And I thought, 'Well, not as much as you are.'"

Baldwin has been named in two civil lawsuits over the shooting, including one that argued the actor "played Russian roulette" by the way he handled the firearm.

Alec Baldwin: Unscripted l PART 1 www.youtube.com