Detectives Get Big Break in 'Rust' Shooting as Alec Baldwin Finally Complies with Authorities
Having cut a deal with terms to which he could agree, Alec Baldwin is now allowing his phone to be examined in connection with the October shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin’s movie, “Rust.”
Hutchins was killed on Oct. 21 when a gun Baldwin was holding fired. Baldwin has claimed he did not fire the gun. The gun was not supposed to contain ammunition but did, in fact, contain a live round that killed Hutchins.
On Dec. 16, New Mexico authorities issued a search warrant for Baldwin’s phone. Earlier this month, after not getting the phone, New Mexico authorities began working with Suffolk County authorities to pry loose the phone. Baldwin owns a home in the Hamptons, an affluent area of Long Island in New York state.
That process ended Friday, according to The New York Times.
However, the phone will never get to New Mexico.
According to a copy of the agreement to search the phone provided by Aaron Dyer, Baldwin’s attorney, the phone’s data will be examined by the Suffolk County police department and the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
They will then pass the relevant data on to New Mexico officials, according to the agreement.
Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, and Dyer said the phone was given to Suffolk County authorities on Friday.
Suffolk County officials can examine texts, emails, call records, voice mail messages, digital images and the phone’s internet history during the time period June 1 to Dec. 5.
Any communications with his lawyers or his wife are out of bounds.
Baldwin will give authorities a list of telephone numbers for “individuals and entities connected with the production of the film” and investigators “may only extract call records for calls to or from those numbers during the relevant time period,” the agreement said.
“Mr. Baldwin has a right to privacy regarding the contents of the iPhone, as well as regarding communications with his attorneys and with his spouse, which communications are protected by the attorney-client privilege and the marital communications privilege respectively,” the agreement said.
Suffolk County officials will create a “forensic download” of the iPhone “in its entirety,” and give Baldwin back his phone.
The agreement notes that the New Mexico search warrant is not valid in New York, and plays up the fact that Baldwin has consented to turn over the phone.
Dyer said there are no answers to the death of Hutchins to be found on the phone, according to NBC.
“Alec voluntarily provided his phone to the authorities this morning so they can finish their investigation. But this matter isn’t about his phone, and there are no answers on his phone. Alec did nothing wrong,” Dyer said in a statement.
“It is clear that he was told it was a cold gun, and was following instructions when this tragic accident occurred. The real question that needs to be answered is how live rounds got on the set in the first place,” he said.
In a Dec. 16 affidavit, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detective Alexandria Hancock said she sought Baldwin’s text messages, emails, contacts, browser history and private messages on social media, as well as his recent call list. Investigators want access to digital images, deleted digital images, passwords and GPS data from the phone.
Hancock wrote that she had “requested Alec’s phone from him, as well as his attorney, and was instructed to acquire a warrant.”
The phone had “several emails and text messages sent and received” regarding the film that she wanted to inspect.
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