Baldwin will hand over cell phone in investigation into director’s death, lawyer says

A lawyer for Alec Baldwin said on Thursday that the actor would hand over his cell phone as part of an investigation into the murder of a cinematographer on the set of the western “Rust.” New Mexico police said they have not yet received the device.

Baldwin’s attorney, Aaron Dyer, said he reached an agreement with New Mexico authorities to hand over the phone after steps were taken to protect the actor’s privacy regarding matters unrelated to the “Rust” investigation.

“Mr. Baldwin’s phone is being delivered this week for review,” Dyer said in a statement. “Mr. Baldwin has continued to cooperate with authorities, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply false.”

The comments followed a Thursday statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office saying that Baldwin had not served a search warrant that asked him to hand over the phone and that a New Mexico prosecutor was now working with the actor’s attorney. to get it.

“To date, the cell phone has not been handed over to authorities,” the press release said.

The Santa Fe detective leading the “Rust” investigation obtained the search warrant in December to examine text messages, emails and other information from Baldwin’s iPhone.

The detective said she requested the warrant because suspects, victims and witnesses “often make and/or receive phone calls and/or messages before, during and/or after the commission of the crime(s)”.

Baldwin said he was holding a revolver on the movie set when he fired it during a rehearsal in October, triggering a bullet that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In a television interview, Baldwin said he never pulled the trigger and denied responsibility for the shooting.

The New Mexico prosecutor overseeing the case said some people who handled weapons on set could face criminal charges related to Hutchins’ death.