Rust armorer having 'difficult time' in jail after being found guilty of manslaughter
Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is having a hard time in jail while awaiting sentencing, her lawyer says.
Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter earlier this month following the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 on set of the movie Rust.
Hutchins was fatally shot when actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on set and the bullet struck her. Director Joel Souza was also injured, but has since gone on to make a full recovery.
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Gutierrez-Reed was the acting armorer on set and was accused of unknowingly bringing live ammunition on the Sante Fe set, but disregarding several gun safety protocols that may have detected the live rounds.
During the 26-year-old's two-week trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, medical examiner Dr Heather Jarrell gave testimony that it 'was a belief on the Rust set that the firearm was not loaded with live ammunition'.
Dr Jarrell said: "Looking at the material available to me through law enforcement reports, it was apparent to me there was no obvious intent to cause death. It doesn't mean there was not negligence."
On March 6, Gutierrez-Reed was subsequently found guilty of involuntary manslaughter - although she was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence - and remains behind bars at Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility.
Ahead of her sentencing, her lawyer has spoken out about how she's doing.
Her lawyer, Jason Bowles, told TMZ that she's having 'a really difficult time' in the detention center.
According to the outlet, Gutierrez-Reed's family are reportedly 'devastated' by the guilty verdict earlier this month and are trying to fix a time to come and see her.
If convicted, Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months behind bars.
Bowles said they are planning to appeal Gutierrez-Reed's conviction, with her defence arguing in court that the armorer was overworked by the production and subsequently the accident should not be blamed on her.
Despite Baldwin having all criminal charges against him over the death of Hutchins dropped last year, he has since been officially indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
The actor has maintained he did not pull the trigger on the gun, telling ABC in 2021: "I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me."
A trial is currently expected to commence in July and if convicted Baldwin could - similarly to Gutierrez-Reed - face up to 18 months in prison.
Topics: Alec Baldwin, Crime, Film and TV, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck