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Baldwin trial turning into Hollywood melodrama

Baldwin trial turning into Hollywood melodrama

The hard facts that occurred on the New Mexico set of “Rust” — a movie actor Alex Baldwin is producing and starring in – are known.  Baldwin pointed a stage gun at Halyna Hutchins, a 42-year-old videographer, pulled the trigger and killed her.  The bullet passed through her body and wounded an assistant producer.

Since the gun — considered a prop — was supposed to carry theatrical blanks, the killing and wounding were clearly unintended.  But that does not mean that there were no people “responsible” for the killing based on live ammunition being on the set … a disregard for safety provisions … and generally reckless behavior.

Obviously, someone – or someones – screwed up big time to the point of being legally and criminally culpable for Hutchin’s death.

The first obvious negligence rests with Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer.  She is primarily responsible for the management of the guns – foremost of which is making sure they are not carrying live ammunition.  Or that live ammunition is not even on the set.

Gutierrez-Reed has already been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and is awaiting sentencing.  She could get up to 18 months in prison and a $5000 fine.

Baldwin has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter.  His trial is just beginning – and it is playing out as a Hollywood movie drama.  Specifically, prosecutors are claiming that Baldwin was grossly negligent and operated with a “total disregard or indifference” to safety requirements. 

Baldwin has some ‘splaining to do.  Pointing guns – even prop guns – at anyone is generally forbidden on movie sets – especially people not in the action.  Baldwin fired the gun at Hutchins for no obvious reason.  They were not shooting a scene at the time.

Initially, prosecutors dropped charges against Baldwin.  He had said that never even pulled the trigger.  A subsequent forensic examination of the gun proved that Baldwin lied.  The gun could not have discharged without the trigger being fully pulled.  This is one of the factors that led prosecutors to ultimately charge the actor.

The case has gone Hollywood based on Baldwin, himself, and the uncharacteristic contentiousness between the prosecutors and defense attorneys.

In the charging documents, prosecutors allege that Baldwin contributed to “safety compromises” on the set. They say that Baldwin’s work habits and personality as producer contributed to the death by undermining general safety requirements.  According to the prosecutors, Baldwin put unreasonable pressure on work crews to speed up the work.  They say he screamed and cursed at crew members and Gutierez-Reed to work faster.

In their filing, New Mexico prosecutors told the court that, “To watch Mr. Baldwin’s conduct on the set of “Rust” is to witness a man who has absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him.”

That certainly sounds like the Alec Balwin we have learned about in the past.  He has had a number of physical confrontations with people who … to use the expression … pissed him off – including frequent run-ins with the paparazzi.

Perhaps Baldwin’s most disgusting example of “attitude” came in an angry voicemail message he left for his 12-year-old daughter.  The messages apparently involved issues associated with his contentious divorce from actress Kim Basinger.  Here is what he left on his young daughter’s voicemail.

“You have insulted me for the last time.  You don’t have the brains or the decency as a human being.  I don’t give a damn that you’re 12 … 11 years old, or that you’re a child.  You humiliated me for the last time with this phone.  You made me feel like shit and you made me feel like a fool.  And you do it to me constantly.  I’m going to get on a plane, and I am gonna come out there for the day.  And I’m going to straighten your ass out.  You understand me?  I will make sure you get it.  So, you better be ready to meet with me so I can let you know just how I feel about what a rotten little pig you really are.  You are a rude thoughtless little pig.”

There are no excuses for that kind of behavior.  That is child abuse by definition.  Baldwin has a history of verbal and physical abuse.  He appears to have anger management problems. That voice on the phone was not a father.  It was a contemptible human being.

The prosecutor’s description of Baldwin’s behavior on the set of “Rust” is consistent with his history.  How much that will play into the trial is yet unknown, but it will not be easy for Baldwin to play “Mr. Nice Guy” to a jury.

So, there ‘tis.

FOOTNOTE: I never met Baldwin, but I did have my own involvement with him … of sorts.  In 2008, he went on a rampage to have the iconic horse drawn carriages removed from city streets – the kind you have seen in innumerable movies set in New York’s Central Park.  Personally, I like those carriages – and I do not like Baldwin.   Soooo … I went to the Urban Dictionary to add a new term.  I gave a name to those sacks under the horses’ asses to collect the droppings.  I named them – appropriately, I thought — “Baldwin Bags.”  I received a thank you communication from the New York livery association – saying they are now referring to them as “Baldwin Bags.”  I should note that my contribution to the lexicon was shortly AFTER his infamous voicemail.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

8 Comments

  1. FRANK STETSON

    Ironic that a Horist comes up with a horse bag. And you can buy a mug too.

    And you say I spend way to much time on PBP —– you got five entries at least into the Urban Slang Dictionary. Try for a reader’s digest tidbit yet?

    Baldwin sucks, not worth the column inches. While he’s done roles I like, his personal character makes even the SNL Trump impersonation hard to watch anymore. They all should be hung out to dry, throw the book at all of them, this never should have happened except for gross negligence. No accident, they just voided all precautions as well known in the industry.

    • Johnny holmes

      And I guess you were there?

      • NavVet

        Frank did not have to be. He has a brain and understands safe use of guns. ! You never point a gun at any one. Never pull the trigger unless you have checked that there is no ammo in it or you are using it with intent to either harm or kill. Baldwin is a total moron and thinks, just like all democrats, he is above the law. I can only hope the court finds him guilty and puts him away. Frank don’t bother to respond. You don’t have brains enough to answer with logic.

  2. navvet

    Sorry Frank put the wrong name at the end. Should have been JOHNNY HAS BEEN.

  3. Darren

    Compared to Biden and his Grand Daughter, Baldwin is Father of the year!

    • FRANK STETSON

      You are kidding, right Darren? Beyond ignoring her, what’s Biden’s grandfather issue?

      The mother is OK with Hunter, with the relationship, what’s your issue? Whenever a Trumplicant voices family value issues, I grimace.

  4. FRANK STETSON

    The story is supposedly about NOT following the rule of law. As usual, the left is blamed, and then also blamed for excessively following the rule of law against minorities. It’s not a Horist of a different color but more of the same: Democrats bad, ignore Trump. Horist is a one-trick pony needing a Baldwin Bag on his mouth…..

    While most of this spew is just pugnacious one-sided attacks on Democrats, the specific example irking Horstian ire is a Democratic AZ AG who has publicly stated she will not prosecute an 1864 AZ law championed by a serial rapist and pedophile, while AZ was still a territory and not a State. No doubt Hoist loves this guy’s policies, but not his personality.

    IOW’s — it was not enforced State Law until the AZ Republican Supremes decided to force the zombie law to life over 150 years after it was forgotten. Although there are a plethora of egregious recent examples vacating the rule of law, none are discussed except the flotilla of Horist specious generalities about Democrats. No example outside Democrats is offered. No support for the generalities offered.

    Unfortunately, like abortion, this is up to the State of AZ and the voter. She has prosecutorial discretion, it’s very powerful, and she chose to use it in a most public fashion announcing to all, “not on my watch.” I am betting she will be re-elected which will be her vindication against the likes of Horist.

    If Horist’s issue is flagrant actions or inaction against specific laws as being a threat to the rule of law, Horist only needs to look in the mirror and report same. Otherwise, it’s just political, partisan, spin.

    In his attack on recent Democratic actions in response to recent Republican actions, Horist nails the 800lb gorilla in the room, then puts it on the table, in a dress, and asks it to dance. Then he tells it not to dance, take off the dress, jump off the table. Guess what, not following the rule of law is not the 800lb gorilla in the room, prosecutorial discretion is. But when it comes to NOT following the rule of law, Republicans like Horist take the cake.

    On 1/6/2024, Trump asked his followers to void the rule of law and fight like hell they did. They complied. They went to jail. IF elected, he will free all these criminals aborting the rule of law.

    Trump’s Supreme Court overturned the rule of law upheld for 50 years with a number of precedents to protect abortion as legal across the country.

    Trump, routinely, says the rule of law does not apply to him, even after losing appeal after appeal after….

    Trump says his adjudications prove the rule of law is wrong. And the examples continue to increase in number and severity as he moves to abort law after law.

    Trump has pardoned his faithful follower criminals, dozens, even the one’s who admitted they did it. He says there is no rule of law he cannot abort.

    Everyday, Horist readers talk about ignoring the rule of law, especially laws that Democrat legally legislate. Horist says nothing, NADA, zip.

    Generally, Republicans agree with him. Horist loves Trump policies that abort the rule of law. To honor law and order, Horist will vote for this sex abusing, digital rapist criminal (his business convicted so far) even after his next personal criminal conviction for ignoring the rule of law in order to rig the 2016 election. Many even applaud his pardons of his criminal friends, each found guilty by law, and excused by Trump, Mr. Law and Order. Horist whines about Clinton getting a legal blow job but Trump paying off a porn star to get elected is fucking-a-skippy and a super guy to support. And next year he will stand trial for trying to rig the 2020 election as well, once again erasing any concept of the rule of law.

    In paraphrasing past words of Horist: it’s legal, get over it. You take the cake when it comes to voiding the rule of law, and you can’t even bring them up in a discussion of voiding and avoiding the rule of law? Why are you so afraid of the truth?

  5. larry Horist

    Frank Stetson …. You are getting worse. Another looooooooooooong rambling — occasionally incoherent — rant that is largely off the subject. A mind is a terrible thing to lose, and you appear to be losing yours to a pathetic obsession over all things Horist. Give it a rest.