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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the movie Rust, where Alec Baldwin inadvertently shot and killed the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a New Mexico court after a two-week-long jury trial.
Prosecutors had charged Hannah with involuntary manslaughter, citing criminal negligence in how she handled firearms on set. She was also on trial for evidence tampering.
Gutierrez-Reed was looking for a sentence of up to three years with additional fines if she was found guilty on both counts. While she hasn't been sentenced yet, the fact that the jury found her not guilty of evidence tampering means her penalty will be significantly lower. Reports suggest that the judge remanded her back to custody despite her attorney's objections.
As per the New Mexico Criminal Law Offices' website, involuntary manslaughter is considered a fourth-degree felony in the state and is punishable by a maximum of 18 months in prison and a monetary fine of up to $5,000.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to face up to 18 months in prison after New Mexico Jury finds her guilty
On October 21, 2021, an accident on the set of Rust shocked the world after it was revealed that the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed when popular Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin's prop gun went off on set, injuring the director as well.
Hutchins' death triggered a sharp reaction from the public, with many in the community debating who should be blamed for it.
Alec Baldwin was indicted by a Grand Jury in January 2024 of involuntary manslaughter, with Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the person in charge of firearms and safety being prosecuted as well. While Alec's trial date has been set for July 9, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Hannah was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter with jurors announcing the verdict after hours of deliberation.
The court case is seen as a watershed moment by the movie industry in terms of a staff member being prosecuted for failing to maintain safety standards to such a degree. Numerous rumors had been floating around about Gutierrez-Reed, with sources claiming she was an alcoholic to be downright incompetent.
As per court documents, the prosecutors' arguments hinged on Hannah's failure to do her task as Rust's armorer and check the weapon that ultimately killed Hutchins. She allegedly allowed live ammunition to be put inside the prop gun in question. The prosecutor minced no words during the closing statements, saying that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had failed to test the gun for live rounds for more than two weeks:
"She had six, six live rounds on that movie set, the earliest date that I can track them for you is October 10. Six, and she failed to ferret them out for 12 days."
Hannah's defense attorney argued that Alec Baldwin had failed to follow common sense gun laws by pointing the gun at a person on the set. Readers should note that the actor has maintained he did not pull the trigger.
As mentioned before, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed now faces up to 18 months of prison time in addition to up to $5,000 fines as per New Mexico's laws on involuntary manslaughter.
