Naman Shrestha
In October 2021, the movie set of ‘Rust’ in New Mexico turned into a crime scene when the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was fatally shot by a live bullet during the shooting of a church scene. The entire incident and the investigation that followed are explored in a detailed manner in Hulu’s ‘Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna.’ With so many controversies and mysteries surrounding the safety protocols in place on set, Halyna’s husband, Matt Hutchins, showed determination to get to the bottom of it all and help bring the ones responsible to justice.
Matt Hutchins Blamed Alec Baldwin and Several Others For His Wife’s Death on Set
When 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins met her unfortunate demise on October 21, 2021, on the set of ‘Rust’ at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, her husband, Matthew “Matt” Hutchins, and their son, Andros, were amongst the most affected. Upon learning about the tragedy, he admitted that his heart sank. After breaking the news to his son in a direct and blunt manner, the two flew down to Santa Fe. According to the documentary, Alec Baldwin, who laid the fatal shot at her while filming a church scene, met with Matt and expressed his condolences. However, Matt believed that Alec was responsible for his wife’s death, alongside several other factors, like safety measures surrounding firearms not being maintained.
On February 15, 2022, the Hutchins family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the veteran actor and other individuals suspected of being involved in Halyna’s passing. Alec maintained his innocence and straightaway denied allegations of the set being unsafe. During a conversation with Today, he stated, “The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me.” He added, “But gun safety was not the only problem on that set. There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced and there’s multiple responsible parties.”
Things got worse between Matt and Alec when the latter gave an interview on national television and spoke at length about Halyna’s death. Matt was admittedly enraged by the fact that he talked about it in a detailed manner and refused to acknowledge any responsibility for the same. According to him, the incident could have been prevented if the safety of the crew members on set had been prioritized from the get-go. He promised to bring the individuals responsible to justice and said, “But in the end, justice won’t bring Halyna back but maybe the memory of her can help keep people safe and prevent something like this from ever happening again.”
Matt Hutchins Has Planned to Go Against Alec Baldwin in Court
In June 2023, Matt Hutchins announced a settlement agreement in the wrongful death lawsuit, the approval of which meant that he and his son, Andros, would be compensated for Halyna’s passing. However, the accused members of the lawsuit failed to pay them the agreed-upon funds as scheduled. When the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin was dismissed in July 2024, Matt was vocal about his desire to seek justice for his late wife.
Furious with the months of postponement of the funds and the dismissal of Alec’s case, Matt planned to see the Emmy Award-winning actor back in court sooner rather than later. After the court dismissed the case, Matt’s lawyer stated, “We respect the court’s decision. We look forward to presenting all the evidence to a jury and holding Mr. Baldwin accountable for his actions in the senseless death of Halyna Hutchins.”
Matt Hutchins Was Rumored to be Dating Again After Halyna’s Death
One and a half years after the passing of Halyna Hutchins, in April 2023, the 38-year-old widower Matt Hutchins was spotted with a woman named Katie Flynn at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. It was reported that she was his new love interest, as they were spotted sharing romantic gestures with each other. From what we can tell, she is a Central Michigan University graduate who works as a video production coordinator at the Griffith Observatory. However, ever since then, the two have not been spotted together as they both seem to be leading private lives, away from the prying eyes of the media.
Read More: Hannah Gutierrez Reed: Where is the Rust Armorer Now?
You must be logged in to post a comment.