Nearly 10 months after Alec Balwin killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the low budget Western, the police investigation into what happened is still ongoing, but a bit closer to competition.
Santa Fe Country Sheriff’s Investigators have informed that they’ve received the FBI’s completed forensic reports on Aug. 2, which were then sent to New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for review. “The OMI had advised the Sheriff’s Office that they required these forensic reports to finalize their investigation,” read a release from the Sheriff’s Office which received the reports yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Santa Fe County Sheriffs are still working with the Suffolk County Police Department and First Judicial District Attorney’s Office to get, process and disclose The Cooler Oscar nominee’s phone records. Once Sheriff’s reviews the OMI files, Baldwin’s phone records, they’ll send the final Rust case file to the Santa Fe District Attorney’s office for final charging decisions.
“The District Attorney’s office has been working with Suffolk County PD and Baldwin’s lawyer to acquire the phone records. Once Suffolk County PD completes its agency assist and sends those records to New Mexico law enforcement, our detectives will need to then thoroughly review those phone records for evidentiary purposes,” said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
The Santa Fe District Attorney’s did not respond for a request for comment on the state of the probe.
Baldwin’s attorney said back in April that the OSHA investigation “exonerates” Baldwin. The report (read a summary here) concluded that Rust Movie Productions LLC’s management “knew that firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set and demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety by failing to review work practices and take corrective action” when the fatal incident occurred back on Oct. 21 whereby the star of such movies as The Aviator and Boss Baby was given the all-clear by the AD to discharge a prop gun which took DP Hutchins’ life.
Recently, Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell’s lawsuit against Baldwin and other producers was rescheduled for Sept. 28. Judge Michael E. Whitaker moved the hearing to give the plaintiff the option and time to file an amended complaint. Mitchell was standing next to Hutchins when she was fatally shot. Mitchell claims extensive negligence on the New Mexico set and that the scene Baldwin was rehearsing never called for him to fire the weapon.
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