Baldwin’s next trial will include a list of witnesses to support the prosecution’s case against him, including one of the individuals he accused for the murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The prosecution’s witness list contains the name of David Halls, an assistant director on the set of the film “Rust.” Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, have been charged with involuntary homicide.
Baldwin stated his innocence in an interview with CNN and placed the responsibility on Gutierrez-Reed and Halls.
“There are two people who didn’t do what they were supposed to do. I’m not sitting there saying I want them to, you know, go to prison, or I want their lives to be hell. I don’t want that, but I want everybody to know that those are the two people that are responsible for what happened,” he said.
At the time, Baldwin was accused of deflecting responsibility.
“Baldwin is pointing the finger at others because the evidence is pointing at him. Halls is not responsible. Everyone needs to stop. People are only pointing the finger at Halls because they don’t want the responsibility of being wrong. Halls is a scapegoat. People need to look at the evidence,” said Halls’ attorney Lisa Torraca.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Halls has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of careless use of a dangerous weapon. He will then get a six-month probation sentence, a $500 fine, and additional restrictions.
“Dave Halls approached us and was cooperative with our inquiry, with our investigation. We had a very frank and honest discussion … and we felt like on the ladder of culpability he was probably still culpable [but] that he was the least culpable of the three people,” Carmack-Altwies said.
She stated, “He will be testifying or cooperating in the prosecution.”
According to the Daily Mail, an FBI study contradicts Baldwin’s assertion that he did not pull the trigger of the gun used to shoot and kill Hutchins and injure director Joel Souza. However, the actor maintains that he was not responsible for the shooting.
Who said and did what on the day of the shooting in October 2021 is contested. In a deposition to the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, Halls stated that he gave the gun to Gutierrez-Reed, who then yelled “cold gun” and handed it to Baldwin. According to witness accounts, Halls yelled “cold gun” when he handed it to Baldwin that day, indicating that it contained no live rounds.
Gutierrez-Reed stated that she delivered the pistol to Halls, but she never used the phrase “cold gun.”
Thomas Gandy, the film’s special effects coordinator, reportedly told the LA Times that Gutierrez-Reed “spun the cylinder, like you see in movies when someone is playing Russian roulette. Then she handed the gun to Dave, and he said ‘cold gun on set’ and handed it to Alec.”
However, Halls remembered the day differently.
“Hannah comes in with the revolver, shows me the revolver, we do the gun check. She shows me that the gun is empty, and she hands it to Mr. Baldwin,” Halls said, adding that when he looked at the cylinder of the revolver, “I saw the dummy rounds in there. … I saw three to four.”
The aftermath of the incident included contradictory narratives and litigation.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Halls countersued Baldwin in December, claiming “active and primary negligence” on the part of Baldwin and other crew members contributed to the shooting.