Prop Firearm Movie Set Alec Baldwin
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

From the AP . . .

Prosecutors have dropped the possibility of a sentence enhancement that could have carried a mandatory five-year sentence against Alec Baldwin in a fatal film-set shooting, according to new court filings made public Monday.

The actor-producer’s attorneys had earlier objected to the enhancement, saying it was unconstitutional because it was added after the October 2021 shooting.

“The prosecutors committed a basic legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the firearm-enhancement statue that did not exist on the date of the accident,” Baldwin’s attorneys said in an earlier court filing.

Baldwin’s attorney declined to comment.

Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the set of the film “Rust,” were charged last month with felony involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died shortly who died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

Alec Baldwin Rust Movie Shooting

Authorities said Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Hutchins’ parents and sister have filed a lawsuit over the shooting after a similar suit filed by her husband and son was settled.

Production is expected to resume this spring on “Rust” after it was halted following the shooting. Rust Movie Productions said Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, will be the film’s new executive producer with Blanca Cline as the new cinematographer.

Rust Movie Productions said last week a related documentary will detail the completion of the film and the life of Halyna Hutchins.

Souza will return as director when production resumes, although it’s unclear in what state the filming will take place.

Rust Movie Productions officials said the use of “working weapons” and “any form of ammunition” will be prohibited on the movie set.

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67 COMMENTS

  1. Clear, clean example of attempting to charge a crime “ex post facto”.

    Not to be confused with charging someone with a crime that happened after the effective date of the law.

    • So that leaves 18 months as a possible max sentence.

      If he can get that reduced below 12 months (and I see that as highly likely) he avoids state penitentiary time, and takes a relaxing holiday in a county jail.

      Pisses me off. I *really* want a particular orifice of his reamed out to a much larger diameter in the state prison… 🙁

      • “So that leaves 18 months as a possible max sentence.”

        Length of sentence is not an element of determining whether a law is being applied EPF.

        Good news is that whether 18mos, or 12mos, he loses his right to possess firearms, for any purpose, and that might be a long-term financial loss for Baldwin.

        • Long term loss? How. They don’t need to use actual firearms in movies. His kind are actually the best excuse for gun control there is.

      • “and takes a relaxing holiday in a county jail.”

        you mistake the celebrity criminal justice system for an actual criminal justice system.

        he will probably end up with probation.. ’cause you know, he will loose so much money and his ‘career’ and so much more of his life and there is that ‘killing commemorating’ movie called ‘Rust’ to finish.

        • “You mistake the celebrity criminal justice system for an actual criminal justice system.”

          Baldwin won’t do a day, that’s the law being applied. The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will do 364 days, that’s the law as written.

          There are two different sets of rules when it comes to the law, Baldwin being a falling woke star is subject to a different set of laws.

          It kind of goes hand in hand with “It isn’t who you are but who you know”. He had the gun, he shot the gun, he killed with the gun but it’s Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s fault and that will be reflected when it comes time for judgement.

        • And you mistake the fact that we live under a Criminal Justice System at all. When in point of fact, is a Criminal Legal System as writ by their own hand. Justice doesn’t even enter into it…

          Ask someone who has been legitimately victimized by it whether justice has been rendered or not. And I speak from personal experience, ended up in jail for legit shooting an aggressive stalker trying to draw a gunm on me on my property, and effectively spent time as a prohibited person for almost 2 1/2 years.

          Castle Doctrine and SYG are in play here too. Sound like justice to you?

        • @WilliamWallaceTheThird
          No it doesn’t but it just kind of proves my point.
          It’s a two tiered system and you were on the lower tier.
          Because of that you got screwed over.

        • That reply was to .40 just in case you mistook it.

          We’re on the same page, and people around here have been in denial forever about the fact we are engaged in a class/caste war. Loud and fervent claims of racial issues are nothing but the “elites” trying to stir the pot and distract everyone else from the reality behind the curtain.

          LOOK! A SQUIRREL! tactics are boorish and only fool the low brow contingent. People mostly are to simple minded to see the wizard behind the curtain pulling their chains.

      • I told you from the jump that he wouldn’t be put in prison.

        We’re talking about Santa Fucking Fe, New Mexico. The City Different is the English slogan of the city. (La Ciudad de la Santa Fe de San Francis de Asis is the Spanish name for the city, a slight change from the original name of La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís).

        I’ll be shocked if he does a day in jail at all. To be entirely honest, as I’ve said from the jump, unless there’s a plea deal there’s a very, very, very good chance he walks.

        If there is a plea deal, it will be to a non-violent misdemeanor and they’ll spin it as making sure they don’t “ruin his career” by “making it illegal for him to do an action movie ever again”.

        He’s one of the “right” people. A good person. Good people are not punished by other good people.

        Visit all you want, until you’ve lived and worked in Santa Fe you cannot understand how absolutely batshit crazy half the town is. Even the people who aren’t crazy would be unlikely to vote to convict Baldwin out of fear of the half who are crazy.

        The city is not jokingly called “The San Francisco of the High Desert” for no reason.

        Me vendí polvo a los güeros, están locos los cabrones, son los más cocodrilos del ghetto applies in New Mexico the same way it does in Mexico.

        • “I told you from the jump that he wouldn’t be put in prison.”

          The fact they initially charged him with the 5-year conviction enhancement, knowing full well it won’t apply, tells all I need to know about how aggressive the prosecutor will be.

          The fix is already in… 🙁

      • No one deserves rape, male or female. The fact that it happens 0n what is a regular basis is wrong, just like the guards putting warring gang members in the same 2 person exercise yard and betting on the results. Wishing that on anyone just shows your hatred of your fellow man.
        I don’t think this was premeditated, I think it was a sloppy accident, where anyone with common sense could and should have avoided. Being stupid is not a crime, or we would have 90% of all people behind bars.
        Our system is designed to rehabilitate, not punish for punishment’s sake. I would like to see him taken out of circulation for a couple of years, that should be enough to keep movie producers from cutting corners. While he was ultimately responsible, there were professionals that also should share the blame.

        • “Our system is designed to rehabilitate, not punish for punishment’s sake.”

          And therein lies the problem; a national psychosis.

  2. I detest Baldwin. He is an a**. That said, it is only proper, under the law, to remove a possible penalty that was enacted long after the violation. However, he is quite patently guilty of pulling the trigger…Period…Stop…end of sentence.

    I smell a buy-out in naming her widower as an executive on the film production….wonder how much that cost the Baldwin estate?

    The movie will use only the finest cap-gun replicas for the remainder of shooting. To view the models available to the Armorers of the new, improved “Rust” please visit the following URL https://wildwesttoys.com/

      • Probably still working a deal with his Lefty buddies in New Mexico to get off with a figurative slap on the wrist whilst throwing the “Rust” armorer lady to the legal and media wolves.

        How have you been? Our weather is about to tank. Cold front barrelling through Canada headed for us bringing -24 degrees C for a couple of nights and an unknown amount of snow (the models are all over the place). Good time to stay home and load ammo for upcoming Spring matches.

        • Over the weekend my son had Region Athletics at Narellan. If there is a hotter place in the Sydney area I’m yet to find it.

          40 C. And the athletics field is surrounded by netball courts which are black road tar. Urban Heat Island. And not much shade cover.

        • @SC

          Ugh! I’ve lived up North (roughly 48.5 N latitude) too long to enjoy wallowing in sweat. Anything above 32 degrees C is too damn hot for me.

          Hope your son did well.

        • Thanks. He made the finals on the 100m sprint and didn’t finish last.

          He made it to state level competition on long jump. Only 5 of 14 qualifiers turned up and he was second.

      • Glad you liked the link.

        Looking at their site takes me back to my 6yo self…*sigh* good memories!

  3. ““The prosecutors committed a basic legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the firearm-enhancement statue that did not exist on the date of the accident,” Baldwin’s attorneys said in an earlier court filing.”

    This is a sophomoric error, probably made by a minority hire. If I was the main prosecutor, I would be extremely embarrassed. Expect more of these errors, as “equity” soaks into the system. It some cases it will be deadly, as with air travel or public works engineering.

    • Johnny, this is Nueva Meh-he-co brother, I need to know if the minority hire comment was “sarc” or seeking the truth? Out here my man, Minority (white) hire is always the guy thrown under the bus ! Especially in Juarez, Santa Fe.

  4. What did you expect when he was making fun of Trump and pushing left wing ideologies for years, he had plenty of woke insurance saved up. Nothing will happen to him and of course he is a democrat. Plus if you think individuals are treated fairly in our justice system you are sadly mistaken.

      • Exactly. A first year law student (heck, I understood the concept of what an ex post facto law was in high school, thanks to being a competitive debater) would have recognized that the alternative enhancement was a textbook ex post facto application of the law, and thus unconstitutional. Truly embarrassing.

        It really makes me wonder whether the politicos have arranged to put the JV scrub squad on the field for this one. Kinda like the supposed “star” prosecutor Florida authorities had prosecute William Kennedy Smith — I remembered watching her embarrassingly bad cross examination technique of the defendant at the trial (it was televised) l and thinking “this prosecutor is either totally incompetent or is deliberately taking a dive.”

        • “It really makes me wonder whether the politicos have arranged to put the JV scrub squad on the field for this one.”

          Could it have been a situation of “throw everything at the wall; see what sticks.”?

          (we seem to have gained understanding of EPF about the same way in our lives)

        • Sam,

          Out of curiosity, what years did you debate in high school? (Me, 1975-79. Made it to nationals in ‘78 and ‘79.)

          Unfortunately, competitive high school debate went “woke” over 20 years ago (and even longer ago in college debate), when it quite literally went from an exercise in rhetorical, research, analytical, and persuasive abilities, to one focused on who can claim the greatest victim status.

        • It really makes me wonder whether the politicos have arranged to put the JV scrub squad on the field for this one.

          No need, the DA is throwing the case to benefit herself. As I’ve said from the start, if you think there’s going to be justice for Baldwin in Santa Fe, you’re ignorant of the place or you’ve taken more peyote than a Santa Fe High School student on a field trip to Taos.

          While you’ll have to wait for my other comment to get out of moderation jail before you’ll know how astoundingly and openly corrupt, drunk, drug addled (and other vices too!) The City Different is I’ll cover DA again here.

          Mary Carmack-Altwies is a well entrenched businesswoman of Santa Fe with known political ambition at the State level. Former public defender and private lawyer. Millionaire, and mostly not due to her marriage (to a former LEO) or to her private law practice. It’s mostly due to being in part of the art world that is Santa Fe, this has it’s own… uh… “connotations”, shall we say? Married to another woman. She’s your stereotypical politically active female Leftist Santa Fean. She checks all the right boxes to maybe be Governor one day, at least according to the majority of the locals.

          That means she knows damn well the city runs mostly on coke, art, restaurants with a good reputation but ownership of ill-repute and corruption. And it also means she knows better than to fuck with the Golden Goose, as evidenced by the fact that she has zero record of doing so though opportunities abound.

          This charge was filed on purpose and it was meant to be dropped from the start. The woman is no dummy. She wants higher office and this how she splits the baby on a delicate issue. She can’t nail Baldwin and keep her status as anointed in Santa Fe but she can’t ignore this either because of the rest of the State. So, a charge that *can’t be prosecuted due to unforeseen issues* is perfect.

  7. This was predictable ( especially in N$W M$XICO) Throw enough money @ the wall and it disappears…especially into the pockets of cr$$ked lawmakers. If he see’s ANY time..SLAP! more m$ney heard hitting a wall!….this slimy reptile…which one? take your pick Law maker/ Actor will do what’s best for each other, no matter who has to die to solve this problem.Poor, poor Halyna, no one to stand up for her. Her husband gets b$ught and promoted to Exec.Producer, SLAP! Her own mutha and sister ‘sue” and get Compensation ( undisclosed amount) SLAP! Now her own father and son sue to get justice…hmmmm, let’s see..oh yeah, SLAP! as Santa Fe’s DA’s office waddle to the bank.
    Thank you very little , your gubment @ work.

    tick tock awaiting moderation hell….

    • No more moderation:
      Alright a little trick that doesn’t involve changing WordPresses code.
      Check the box “Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.”
      Before you hit Post Comment highlight and copy the comment you made.
      If you get moderated you have 5 minutes to Delete your post.
      Look it over for any trigger words. If found remove them.
      If you don’t the next step is the same.
      Delete post, paste and repost it. Shutting the window helps and not just the tab.
      Usually the second time is a charm unless there is a WP trigger word.
      Then you would have to change code and I’m not getting into that, WP would get pissed.

  9. @Ed Schrade
    “Tina Louise was real for sure !”

    I suppose. Was more concerned about the Howells getting their lives back to normal.

      • “Sam…🤣”

        Thanx for the endorsement, but money is more important than a babe. With money, you can get anything you want….at Alice’s Restaurant. (or on the train they call the city of New Orleans)

  10. “Rust Movie Productions officials said the use of “working weapons” and “any form of ammunition” will be prohibited on the movie set.”
    And there it is the liberal knee jerk reaction and so called fix for something that should be a non problem.

    Also “Rust Movie Productions said Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, will be the film’s new executive producer”
    What a disgusting pig…

    • “Matthew Hutchins, will be the film’s new executive producer”

      She obviously did not marry a man.

    • Many productions are taking this approach. “Guns” are either totally inert or electrically fired cap guns. Special effects take care of everything. The bang is Foley (prerecorded sound effects), the flash is computer animation, and the hits are squibs or animation. Some productions do it for safety, some to not deal with gun laws for their location, and some because their actors are felons who can’t touch a real gun.

    • “How will they resume shooting (poor choice of words?) when the star is in jail?”

      Same way “they” made Will Smith look two different ages in “Gemini Man”.

  13. @LKB
    “Sam,
    Out of curiosity, what years did you debate in high school? (Me, 1975-79. Made it to nationals in ‘78 and ‘79.)”

    The year was 1959, 8th grade “Civics”. Went to a traveling debate show, that pitted an anti-American Brit, against a hard core “pro-American” citizen. The twist? Each took the others actual philosophy. While the debate was invigorating, the Brit won.

    But it was studying* the Constitution in “Civics” class, that I learned about EPF. And while EPF laws are rarely attempted, I have kept a sensitive eye out for them.

    There were no complaints that our “Civics” teacher had converted the syllabus to mainly the Constitution, rather than a general survey of how politics were supposed to work in the US. Them was the good old days.

  16. “Rust Movie Productions said Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, will be the film’s new executive producer with Blanca Cline as the new cinematographer.”

    Holy crap, how cucked can you get? He shot and killed your wife, you lunatic! He ran the wildly unsafe, reckless production that helped get her killed! You’re seriously going to stick him back in front of the camera and let him act like it never happened? For what, some pittance of money?

    The absolute state of men in Hollywood.

  17. “Hey, I got a job working with the guy that killed my wife, what luck ehh.” $$$$ trumps love in Hollywood.

  18. Mr. Ark,
    Are you not familiar w/ how Hollywierd works? Not chastising you, just a straight up question. There is NO loyalty, there is No marital support (there is what can I get outta you relationships) What part can I get because I married you?, How can you get me this part? or my name in the papers more. that’s why you see in the “rags” that such and such got married today, He/ she/ it turns around day’s later and say’s Irreconciled differences, we grew apart after 13 minutes of marriage (but they got the part!), oh, yeah, and I am a raging Queen who likes he/ she//it now because I met them yesterday! These people are sick. They don’t march to a different drummer, they want to boink ALL drummers.. They do whatever they please, no matter who they hurt. And they take ZERO responsibility for their actions. Sound like someone in the headlines today? YEP ! The gunm just went off! Did you guy’s read any of the reports about the SF Deputies “Trying” to separate MR. B from his friends/co-horts when they finally arrived on site? The report said they were “Starstruck” by MISTER B”. He wouldn’t get off the phone ! They “ASKED” him to, but he kept walking away. They chucked Reed/Armorer in a car asap! This will give you insight on what will happen. “B” will walk (on another technicality) and Reed will do time. He won’t pony up $$ for her. Hey! here’s a bus ! THUMP! Halnya may have some company real soon. It’s disgusting!. Just look @ her husbands actions….”You killed my wife!…You can be Exec. Producer….uh, OK!
    I worked some of these sets/locations in NM Some of these “people” would approach me and ask: Can I see your gunm? Can I shoot it? I’ll be good w/ it.I asked them politely to step back. No? Then I told them these are not toys pal! When I said BTFU! buddy, they looked like spoilt lil kids who were never told NO. The ONLY sets that were happy, professional and safe were “Sicario 1 and 2” Ah, good times. From producers on down the line they were Pro’s. Tight Armorers (and lot’s of ’em, not just one person) Ex-Special Forces dudes who could give you “that stare” and (I) just prayed I didn’t wet myself 😫. The main actors PAID ATTENTION when given instruction, DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS! how to hold the weapon, what to do and NOT do , keep it pointed @ the ground @ all times, The 4 rules had to be recited back.etc. Del Toro/Brolin were amazing ! (I was starstruck @ how good these guy’s were). Have you guy’s watched the movies? The way they filmed the Black hawk scenes flying over actors heads, was truly awesome!. This was great film making, I got extra $$$$ for driving them around later on just because an Armorer said to the producers “He’s not a dick” High praise guy’s from this Vet who also wrangled a speaking part (because he wasn’t a dick either) Not all hollywood are Aholes. and some are truly nice people. but the latest bunches I have seen were really awful.

    I just heard from a friend who I use to work w/ @ Lobo Security.. They supply Level 1 guards to movie locations. Edgewood, Santa Fe, Las Vegas(NM) etc. He told me (Rust Producers were on site today) measuring how to move that church to another location (out of state). Apparently it is in such tough shape it might collapse if the move was attempted. So they scheduled a meet w/ NM Films tomorrow to restart it there. Boy’s $$$$$money talks$$$ never say never to hollwierd because they will just dig deeper till they get what they want. Santa Fe may say uh uh! but dig, dig, dig later they will say…..um, ok. That’s how they buy politicians and DA’s so successfully. They both speak the same language $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
    Stay tuned sports fan’s you haven’t seen the last of RUST.

  19. “The prosecutors committed a basic legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the firearm-enhancement statue that did not exist on the date of the accident…”

    Accident, LOL. Sure. How much money you got? I’ve got some real nice bridges for sale.

    • I mean, you’re talking about city where the Sheriff won reelection while under indictment for taking US Federal antiterror grants of body armor, helmets, NVGs etc and selling them on Ebay. He only got convicted because wasn’t tried in the State system locally.

      And he was the non-corrupt Sheriff, lol.

      The city PD has more scandals than you can shake a stick at, I won’t bother listing them. No one cares. I will point out that their idea of “cleaning up the Plaza” because it was covered with junkies was to move those junkies off the plaza and ignore them provided they stayed over on Cathedral property. When the Catholic diocese complained, it was ignored. Lots of ODs and deaths came from that, nothing happened to the cops.

      The *home* of the Honorable Senator Ben Ray Lujan, a notorious grifter known for getting the city to do extra paving work for this friends and business associates, at taxpayer expense, of course. But the family is so popular the name can’t lose. That’s a big part of why the current Governor is in the elected position she’s in, even though she’s from the East Coast.

      The city where the top restauranteurs can drive shitfaced drunk, wreck their high-end automobile and get a ride home from the cops before buying a newer model the next morning and going on as if nothing happened but if you blow 0.08… oof, they’ll loosen your asshole real fast.

      Half the city runs on yeyo and the other half runs on “art”. Mr. Baldwin is the type who’s talked about quite a bit during Opera Season, when the elites who are pure as driven snow grace the city with their presence. If nothing else, fear of harming this turnout will help Mr. Baldwin’s case.

      And then there’s Mary Carmack-Altwies. She’s Democrat, a bigwig business personality in Santa Fe, a lesbian, formerly a private lawyer and public defender and is now DA. She’s quintessential “Santa Fe”. She fits in like ordering your burrito “Christmas” at The Burrito Spot on Cerrillos as part of your hangover after a night of drinking and blowing high quality coke with low quality people who have the benefit of a reputation is that un-tarnish-able.

      She’s quite obviously out for higher political office in the State. Nailing Baldwin to the wall would harm her chances with the local donors, movers and shakers. But doing nothing would harm her elsewhere in the state. A charge that can’t be prosecuted is perfect, and absolutely par for the course in the City.

  20. quote—————Rust Movie Productions officials said the use of “working weapons” and “any form of ammunition” will be prohibited on the movie set.———quote

    Isn’t that always the case with human beings.

    Buy fire insurance after your house burns down.

    Opposed sane gun laws until one of your family is killed in a mass shooting.

    Leave loaded guns laying around the house which are stolen and then you go out and by a gun safe.

    Leave loaded guns lying around the house until one of your kids gets killed or he takes one to school and commits a mass murder with them.

    Be to cheap and stingy to support passage of a National Health Care plan until it is you who end up going bankrupt over a catastrophic medical bill because you thought it would never happen to you.

    The American people have not become more educated in the 21st Century they have become more Far Right Hillbilly. They have become their own worst enemies.

  21. @tsbhoa.p.jr
    “c’mon, eddy baby.
    dawn wells.”

    As noted, my attention was focused on the Howell’s regaining their fortune. With enough money, you can get all the babes you want.

    When I slide up to the bar, and sit on the stool next to a pretty woman, I introduce myself, and say, “I’m not really this tall; I’m sitting on my wallet.”

    • *chuckle*

      Careful there Sam. A wallet that thick in your back pocket can throw your back out, unless you got a Roscoe in the other to balance it out. Why I carry my wallet in a backpack most of the time. 😉

  22. He accidentally killed someone.

    There really is no reason to make new laws for this. The widower should be allowed to sue him into bankruptcy. Baldwin revoked industry established safety standards to save cost on a film. He did not knowingly cause death, but his decisions set the process in motion.

    I detest Baldwin. However, I truly detest government overreach.

    Causing death through negligence should be treated the same regardless of the tool used or circumstances.

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