Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of manslaughter in fatal shooting
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer on the set for the 2021 movie Rust, starring Alec Baldwin.
The 26-year-old loaded the gun with a live bullet for the veteran actor - but the weapon should have only contained dummy rounds.
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When the gun was fired by Baldwin during a rehearsal, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally wounded.
Director Joel Souza was also injured, but went on to make a full recovery.
Now, Gutierrez-Reed has been found guilty after a two-week trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, yesterday (March 6).
Prosecutors alleged Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition on to the set, at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, and gun safety protocols that might have detected the live rounds had been disregarded.
Defence lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed described her as an easy scapegoat, adding that problems on the film set extended beyond her control, including alleging the mishandling of weapons by Baldwin.
The involuntary manslaughter charge against Gutierrez-Reed carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
She was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence, however.
As the verdict was announced, Gutierrez-Reed remained expressionless, however she became visibly distressed when photos of Hutchins' body were shown in court earlier in the trial.
Meanwhile, Baldwin is scheduled to stand trial in July on a charge of involuntary manslaughter after he was re-charged in January. The actor has pleaded not guilty.
Baldwin previously said he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.
He was initially charged in January 2023, but those charges were formally dismissed three months later.
Earlier in January 2024, special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in Santa Fe after receiving a new analysis of the gun, and Baldwin was re-charged.
The indictment accuses Baldwin of involuntary manslaughter through negligent use of a firearm, and an alternative charge of involuntary manslaughter 'without due caution or circumspection'.
The filming of Rust resumed last year in Montana, under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower Matthew Hutchins that made him an executive producer.
The final scenes for the movie were shot in May 2023, which Baldwin celebrated by shaving off his character's beard.
"God, it felt good to shave off that beard," he penned at the time alongside a selfie of the 65-year-old looking fresh faced on Instagram.
Baldwin also hailed it as a 'miracle' that the film wrapped.
Sharing a snap of his co-stars Frances Fisher and Patrick Scott McDermott on set, he wrote: "Last day of filming RUST in Montana. [...] It’s been a long and difficult road. But we reach the end of the trail today.
"Congratulations to Joel, Bianca and the entire cast and crew. Nothing less than a miracle."
While Rust has concluded filming, a release date for the movie is yet to be confirmed.
Topics: News, US News, Film and TV, Alec Baldwin
Niamh Shackleton