First American verdict for murder on the set of Rust with Baldwin
Assistant director David Halls has become the first person convicted of manslaughter of a cameraman while filming Rust West in New Mexico, writing Variety.
According to the publication, UNITED STATES delivered the first verdict in the murder case on the set of the film. Halls, 63, attended the Santa Fe court hearing remotely and fully admitted his guilt. He was sentenced to six months probation.
According to the investigation, the director’s assistant handed the gun to actor Alec Baldwin, calling it “cold”, meaning not loaded with live ammunition. Later, it turned out that the gun loaded by the gunsmith in the painting, Hannah Gutierez-Reid, still had a real cartridge.
Former Rust Crew Members deposit lawsuit against the cameraman Baldwin who shot him. They accused him of neglecting security measures.
Operator Galina Hutchins died October 2021. While filming the western, Baldwin fired a gun, accidentally killing her and injuring the film’s director, Joel Sousa.