GIVEN “COLD” GUN, ACTOR ALEC BALDWIN KILLS CINEMATOGRAPHER HALNYA HUTCHINS

 UPDATE:  The whole mystery of this tragic occurrence lies in answering one question:  What came out of the barrel of the gun Alec Baldwin fired in the direction of camera operator Halnya Hutchins.  

Cutting to the case, okay it's a western. You're not going to have a semi-auto drawn from a holster of a guy wearing spurs and a cowboy hat.   You think about revolver then.  

If the script calls for a shot looking at the front end  of a revolver and the camera goes into close-up, you'll see the hollow dark barrel and the bullets in the chambers.  These 'bullets' will be what show business armorers call "dum-dums."

 A dum-dum will look exactly like a real bullet or live round but it will have the gunpowder removed. You will see a projectile on the business end, exactly like a live and deadly round but it will not fire.  

If firing such a weapon is required by a film script, there will be a cut to another shot where the revolver will be loaded to fire  with blank cartridges. Blank cartridges will not have a projectile on the business end, though it may have wadding of some type, harmless to anyone out of blast range.

So the essential question is this:  What kind of projectile exited the barrel of the gun that killed Halnya Hutchins and wounded director John Souza? The best explanation I've heard to date is one by film armorer Dutch Merrick, a true expert in the field.  

There was a lot of information packed into an excellent interview conducted with Merrick by Julie Grant of CourtTV.  It's worth watching for many reasons, but particularly for the possibility mentioned by Merrick that the projectile from a dum-dum worked loose and lodged in the barrel. 

 Without knowing this had occurred, the film armorer might have loaded a blank round into the revolver as is typically done when you need a lot of bang and fire coming out of the gun but with no bullet or projectile.  

If this is what happened, it would be tantamount to firing a live and deadly round - period. If you think this is far-fetched, then watch the interview Julie Grant conducted with Merrick.

 Merrick recounts the story he'd heard regarding the death of /Bruce Lee's son - Brandon Lee.    Here's the link. 

EXT. – DAY – BONANZA CREEK RANCH NEW MEXICO  

A movie production crew waits inside the rustic 1880s chapel-like building for the filming of an American western “Rust,” starring co-producer and major star Alec Baldwin in the role of a wizened grandpappy in flight with his thirteen-year old grandson.

There is to be a shooting scene.  What they’re all waiting for is the six-gun.  Behind the camera is rising cinematography star  Halnya Hutchins, 42.  Behind or next to her is   director Joel Souza, 48. 

Assistant Director Dave Halls goes to a roll-cart where the supposedly tightly controlled prop weapons are kept.  He brings the revolver to Alec Baldwin, describing the piece as a “cold” gun — meaning it was safe to shoot.    The shot is done in closeup. The audience feels the tension. Baldwin is supposed to unholster his gun and point it.  He does this twice, the second time with a bang.  A live round of some sort comes out the barrel killing Hutchins and wounding director Souza.  

Halnya Hutchins is dead of a gunshot wound to the chest.  Souza   is wounded in the shoulder by the same projectile but survives. A horrible thing, a thing that should never happen, a thing that reminds people of Brandon Lee who died in similar fashion on a movie set of the 1990s.

Questions to be Answered

Why are live rounds even allowed to be on a movie set controlled by film people? This is unconscionable. There is absolutely no reason for live rounds to be on the set especially around people who are obviously not familiar with weapons-handling.

The armorer in charge of the weapons is Hannah Gutierrez.  Where she was when Hall picked up the weapon is unknown?  Were the weapons left unattended for any length of time? Was a live round in the cylinder of one of the three guns on the weapons cart?  Were the other revolvers also loaded with live rounds?  Why, why, why?

Why was Assistant Director Halls even allowed to declare the gun was “cold” — meaning safe to operate for filming purposes?

Why were earlier reports by film production staff of unsafe weapons handling practices ignored?

Why did several production staff members walk off the set complaining about pay and working conditions?

What was the caliber of bullet that could pass through Hutchins and strike Souza?  All reports say that there was only one bullet fired but one has to wonder amongst the talk that there was a previous accidental discharge during the week prior to this tragedy.

Editor’s Note:  We offer our sincere condolences and prayers to Halnya Hutchins, her 8 year old child, and husband Matthew, to all those who knew them.  We hope it is accurate that director Souza is recovering and that his recovery continues.

SEPTA Passengers Watch and Take Video While Woman is Raped on Moving Train

                            Fiston Ngoy:  Philadelphia Train Rapist (Alleged) 

UPDATED INFORMATION:  The DA with jurisdiction over the case declines to pursue prosecution for any passengers who witnessed the attack and did not come forward.  He promised that anyone who did come forward would not be prosecuted.  

So by now you may have heard of Fiston Ngoy, the 35 year old SEPTA attacker who raped a woman on a moving Philadelphia train. It happened around 10:00 p.m. on October 13. Most accounts have it that Ngoy boarded the train, sat down beside her, began grabbing at her breasts.  She pushes him away several times as seen on the train’s surveillance camera.  He persists, gets even more aggressive, tears off her clothing and rapes her. 

So you may be thinking okay, night in Philly, the woman’s had a few beers, the train cars are empty or nearly empty.  She shouldn’t have been on that train alone that time of night. Everyone knows the homeless ride the trains all night long if they’re not booted off.  The blame-the-victim scenario, you know?

Ngoy was unarmed when arrested, and we have no details about his martial abilities, but let’s stipulate that he was a fit 35 year old man, and there were a few people in that train car who were truly scared  and unable to act. Fine,  except that these same terrified people were not too terrified to point their smartphones at the attacker and his victim as the rape went on for approximately 8 minutes.  All this according to video surveillance.

 It’s indisputable there were several people in that train car who did not call 911 nor attempt to intervene in any way but were willing to post videos on name-your-favorite-social-media.

 Sick right? So okay, that’s the news if you didn’t’ already know. But is that where we’re at now? Looks like we are.  Yet I know people who, the minute such an attack began, would have been all over the perpetrator like a cheap suit.  Choke him out in no time. Think of that crew who sacrificed their lives by bringing down Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa.

I’m not one of those people, though.  I’m not brave. Every time I’ve  had to fight I fought but I was always afraid. If the other guy were a bum, malnourished and weak, I’d make easy work of it.  But that wouldn’t   be my luck and really   sometimes you just don’t know.

I’m too long in the tooth to get into a fair scrap with a thirty-five year old guy of man-strength.  Not to say I wouldn’t throw punches if he came for me. But my choices would be slim.

 I can punch a little even in my dotage so I would probably do it. I might get lucky. Either way I’m going to get fucked up.  I might as well get fucked up putting some lumps on the other guy.

 How long I can punch is another thing. With that adrenaline going you get a little boost but it soon tires out an old body.   After that initial surge, if you haven’t handled your business, you’re fresh out of adrenaline courage. Fucked, in other words.   

I don’t want to lose teeth, I don’t want to lose an eye, I don’t want to get my head pounded into the floor — all of which (and worse) I’ve seen happen.

Which brings me to my first choice. See if the guy is armed. I would not do anything if he were armed except hit the emergency line, get off at the next stop,   call 911.

But if I stayed on the train I would look for an escape route.  I would then pull the emergency strap line running above the windows of the train.  I  would get   up behind the guy get an arm around his neck, try to choke him out, and hope for the best. If all that failed, I would take the escape route. Maybe he'd come after me, maybe he wouldn't.

In the case of this female victim, all it took to stop the attack was a transit worker who stumbled onto the scene and called 911. The story goes that the police arrived three minutes later and took the man off and down.  The poor woman was in shock, in  a hospital, supposedly recovering.

I guess that’s relative. I don’t know how you really recover from such a thing but maybe she’s strong.

I seriously wonder what those people on the train car were thinking, what they felt, why they didn’t do anything.  That’s something I don’t know. I’d like to know and so are the police. They’re investigating, looking at video, preparing a variety of charges.

There’s always something you can do in such situations. Am I wrong? What would you think? What would you do? 

I’d like to know. It would make me feel better if you told me you would try even if you knew deep down you wouldn’t. 

The Silence of the Laundrie Parents

 

Much has been written and reported about Gabby Petito’s murder.  There is no need to extensively revisit what is largely known.  She was traveling with boyfriend Brian Laundrie on a vlogging tour of the western states when she was murdered.

 The boyfriend genius returned to his parents home on September 1^st with her van, her credit cards, and her money without telling anyone what happened to her.  Gabby’s parents kept asking what happened to their daughter but all they heard from the Laundrie family is crickets chirping in the night.

  The manner of death was announced as homicide. What wasn’t announced until a few days ago was the cause of death: strangulation.

 Strangulation makes it personal. Strangulation fits the domestic violence profile.  Strangulation fits the videos we’ve seen and the accounts we’ve heard about of Brian Laundrie’s abuse of his girlfriend.   

The autopsy report also said that Gabby Petito’s body had been lying out in the open for a period of about three or four weeks. 

This puts the day she was murdered very close to the day she was last seen, the day boyfriend Brian Laundrie slapped Gabby around and made a huge ass of himself at the Merry Piglets Diner in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The date was August 27, according to Nina Angelo, who dined in the same restaurant that day. The date was confirmed by restaurant employees and by receipts.

This theory corresponds with the suspicious email Gabby’s parents received that very same day  . The email referring to “Stan” the grandfather whose name Gabby would never use in this third-party way of referring to him.  

Gabby’s mom thinks the email was sent by Brian Laundrie to cover up her murder at his own hands.  She’s probably right.

Everyone has an angle on the case and so do I.  My angle on this story concerns the non-responsive behavior of Brian Laundrie’s parents.  

   It’s not unusual for parents to cover for their children who make serious mistakes in life. Go to the visiting rooms of any prison and you’ll see. But how many of those supportive friends and family members would cover up for murder?   

Can they pretend a death was accidental or in self-defense when the medical examiner first informs the public the manner of death was homicide?  Can they forgive the murder of a woman they said was like a daughter to them?

Don’t they feel guilty in plotting   the escape of an adult son who is a ‘likely suspect’  in the murder of a young woman who’d been living with them for a long time? We all know that people are not required  by law to assist police. But   to shut the door to police and Gabby’s parents, is a monstrous unspeakable act that defies the laws of civilized people.

Now with both the manner of death and cause of death made public, the   Laundrie parents are under tremendous pressure.  They’re experiencing a modern version of drip torture 2.0.  This case is not rocket science.

 The police likely have enough evidence to conclude that Brian murdered Gabby. They’re working on proving it.  While they’re doing so they’re under no obligation to release details that will help the Laundrie’s lawyer. 

A suspect in a murder case may make several mistakes and still escape justice.  Cops make a single mistake in a murder investigation and a killer can go free. Remember Johnny Cochran: “If it (the glove) doesn’t fit, you must acquit?” It was an absurd tactic but ti worked.

Police okayed the medical examiner releasing that first report that the manner of death was homicide. This was intended to put pressure on the  parents who refuse to talk except in carefully planned and lawyerly phrases. Their silence is offensive. Even people as numb to Gabby’s human life as the Laundries must feel something.   

The ‘homicide’ announcement was firepower directed over the bow.  The “strangulation” announcement October 12 is a direct blast to the Laundrie quarterdeck. 

With homicide being the manner of death, and strangulation being the cause of it, any line of defense is necessarily limited.  You can’t claim accident.  All you can do is claim someone else strangled her.

I know it’s not fashionable to claim that the police are handling any case with a high degree of intelligence and concern. But they’re handling this one perfectly, and in a way that reminds me of the casual but shrewd inspector in Fyodor Dostoevski’s great novel “Crime and Punishment.”

Raskolnikov crumbled under the pressure. So too will the Laundries — in one way or another and however long it takes — they will be eventually crushed under the weight of their monstrous disregard of that poor girl’s life.