‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of involuntary manslaughter:-Eight people, including “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Hutchins was shot when Alec Baldwin’s gun went off during tryouts for the Western film.
The trial started on February 23 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and had many witnesses and experts give their evidence. On Wednesday, the prosecution and defense made their final arguments. After a few hours, the judges gave their decision.
‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
Deputies were told to arrest Gutierrez-Reed, who is 26 years old, as soon as the decision was read in court. Lead defense lawyer Jason Bowles told USA TODAY in an email Wednesday night that Gutierrez-Reed will file an appeal of the decision.
The armorer could get 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine if he is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The punishment for Gutierrez-Reed will happen later.
Gutierrez-Reed was found not guilty of a second charge of tampering with evidence because it was said that she gave a small bag of possible drugs to another crew member after the killing to avoid being caught.
Wednesday, after the decision, Gloria Allred, Hutchins’ parents’ and sister’s lawyer, spoke to USA TODAY on their behalf. The filmmaker’s family was said to be “satisfied” with Gutierrez-Reed’s finding.
“Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable,” the statement said in an email. “We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions.”
What led up to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s guilty conviction
In his opening speech on February 22, prosecutor Jason Lewis said that Gutierrez-Reed had been “unprofessional and sloppy” on the “Rust” set. He said that before giving Baldwin the gun, she “needed to do a much more complete check” to make sure it didn’t have any live rounds in it.
Bowles, the defense lawyer, said that the “chaotic” set was the fault of the movie’s producers. He started by saying that directors, like Alec Baldwin, didn’t follow basic safety rules, while Gutierrez-Reed did the “best job she could under very, very tough circumstances.”
He also said that the movie crew wants to “blame it all on Hannah” since she’s “easy to target.”
Baldwin pointed a gun at Hutchins during practice in October 2021. Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was hurt when the gun went off. Baldwin, who also helped make the movie, said that the gun went off by chance and that he did not pull the trigger.
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The lawyer for Gutierrez-Reed told the jury that no one on the cast and crew thought there were live rounds on set, and Gutierrez-Reed couldn’t have known that Baldwin would “go off-script” when he pointed the gun at Hutchins. The police did not find any camera recordings of the shooting.
“It was not in the script for Mr. Baldwin to point the weapon,” said Bowles. “She didn’t know that Mr. Baldwin was going to do what he did.”
Souza said in court on March 1 that the hit “felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my shoulder.” Gutierrez-Reed was on trial.
He said that Hutchins quickly lined up replacements for the six camera crew members who had left the set at the start of the day. Souza said, “there was an incredibly loud bang,” which he described as “deafening.” They were getting ready for a close-up of Baldwin drawing a gun from a holster.
What we know about Alec Baldwin’s trial
Baldwin is being charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in New Mexico. The jury has been chosen, and the hearing date has been set.
Judge Mary L. Marlowe Sommer wrote in her scheduling order, which was filed on February 26, that the hearing will happen from July 10 to July 19. Picking the jury will start on July 9.
Baldwin was charged with manslaughter again in January, nine months after a special prosecutor dropped an earlier charge of unintentional manslaughter against the actor, saying that the case was still “active and on-going.”
He said he wasn’t guilty on January 31 and is now free on his own recognizance. If found guilty, the star could spend up to 18 months in jail.