'Rust' Movie Armorer Sentencing Day Arrives for Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer for the film "Rust," was recently convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the tragic shooting incident that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. She is set to receive her sentence on Monday in a New Mexico court.

The fatal shooting occurred on October 21, 2021 when actor Alec Baldwin fired a live round from a prop gun, unintentionally causing the death of Hutchins. The film's director was also wounded in the incident.

Gutierrez Reed, the individual in charge of firearm safety and storage on set, has been found guilty in a high-profile case that has garnered national attention for over two years. She is facing a potential sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of $5,000. Prosecutors are pushing for the maximum prison time, stating that she has not taken responsibility for her actions. On the other hand, the defense is requesting probation for her, highlighting her lack of prior criminal record and history of positive contributions to society.

After a trial that included testimony from over 30 witnesses and nearly three hours of deliberation, jurors reached a verdict on March 6. They determined that Gutierrez Reed's actions, which allegedly disregarded safety protocols and lacked caution, directly contributed to the tragic death of Hutchins. Following her conviction, she has been in custody, with her defense attorney planning to file an appeal.

“Rust” movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed listens to the verdict being read in court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday.

“Rust” movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed listens to the verdict being read in court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday.

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Bowles argues that his 26-year-old client has been unfairly blamed for the safety mistakes made by the film set management and other crew members.

Gutierrez Reed's defense team, in a memo dated April 10, requested her release on probation under conditions determined by the judge. They also suggested counseling and rehabilitation. They argued that she faced harsher consequences due to intense media coverage, including death threats, that could impact her future life and job opportunities.

The memo stated that Gutierrez Reed feels deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic events that occurred on the Rust set. Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey declined to comment on the defense memo when contacted by CNN.

In response to the defense memo on April 12, Morrissey and special prosecutor Jason Lewis requested Gutierrez Reed be sentenced to 18 months in prison. They argued that she continues to deny responsibility and blame others, including the set medic and paramedics who tried to save Hutchins. Prosecutors also mentioned jail calls where Gutierrez Reed complained about the negative impact of the incident on her life and used derogatory names for jurors. Her attorney has been contacted for comment.

During the trial, Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of a separate charge of evidence tampering. Prosecutors had alleged that she transferred a small bag of cocaine to someone else after a police interview following the shooting.

Baldwin, who is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, is set to go to trial in July. He has entered a plea of not guilty and continues to assert that he did not fire the gun. The judge is now reviewing a request from Baldwin's legal team to throw out the indictment, claiming misconduct by the government. Prosecutors have strongly opposed this motion in their own filing.

During a break in the filming of the Western movie “Rust” at the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe, a fatal shooting occurred.

In a 2023 probable cause statement, it was revealed that Baldwin had been practicing for a scene and was handling a revolver under the guidance of Hutchins and Joel Souza, the film’s director.

Baldwin shot Hutchins and Souza with a revolver before 2 p.m., hitting Hutchins in the chest. Hutchins was declared dead around 3:30 p.m.

Alec Baldwin in New York in November 2023.

Alec Baldwin in New York in November 2023.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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Alec Baldwin had ‘no control of his own emotions’ on ‘Rust’ set, prosecutors claim in new legal filing

Prosecutors in the trial claimed that Gutierrez Reed repeatedly ignored safety protocols and neglected her duties leading up to the shooting. This included failing to conduct safety checks on the prop weapon and the ammunition used, giving the weapon to a staff member unauthorized to handle it, and leaving the area when Baldwin fired the fatal shot.

During closing arguments, Morrissey emphasized that Gutierrez Reed did not just make one mistake by accidentally loading a live round. Instead, the case highlighted a series of ongoing safety failures that tragically resulted in one death and endangered another individual.

Morrissey criticized Gutierrez Reed for repeatedly failing to prevent six live rounds from ending up on the set. He pointed out that she neglected to conduct safety checks that could have detected the live rounds. According to Morrissey, these live rounds were present on the set as early as October 10, 2021, and Gutierrez Reed did not discover them for 12 days. This indicates that she did not properly inspect for dummy rounds or test any items for safety.

"Dummy" rounds are bullets that do not have any explosive components but appear like real bullets when they are fired.

Morrissey explained that if the person in charge of checking the dummy ammunition during filming does not ensure that the rounds made to resemble live bullets are actually dummy rounds, it becomes a dangerous situation for actors using guns with dummy rounds.

Bowles, the defense attorney, shifted the blame to others. He raised concerns about how live ammunition ended up on set and accused the production team of creating a chaotic and unsafe environment. This environment, he argued, made it difficult for Gutierrez Reed to work under challenging conditions. Additionally, Bowles pointed out that Baldwin did not adhere to basic gun safety rules on set. He highlighted that Baldwin's actions, such as pointing the weapon at Hutchins, were unpredictable and went against common sense.

During his closing statements, Bowles emphasized that Gutierrez Reed could not have predicted Baldwin's actions. He stressed that the incident was not scripted and could not have been foreseen. In his view, the responsibility for safety failures lies with the management, not with Hannah.

During the armorer’s trial, assistant film director David Halls admitted he was “negligent” in checking the gun and did not properly look through all the rounds in the gun’s chamber when Gutierrez Reed presented it to him.

Halls testified, “She opened up the latch to the revolver, I recall seeing three to four, what I believed to be dummy rounds.” He later added, “I don’t recall her fully rotating the cylinder.”

Halls would later shout "cold gun" before giving the weapon to Baldwin, signaling that it did not contain live rounds, as stated in a court document. In 2023, Halls accepted a plea deal for his involvement in the shooting, entering a no contest plea to a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.

As part of his sentence, he received six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, was required to attend a firearms safety class, complete 24 hours of community service, and abstain from using drugs or alcohol.

CNN’s Taylor Romine contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

The conviction of Hannah Gutierrez Reed for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" serves as a grim reminder of the importance of firearms safety on film and television sets. The case has highlighted the need for stricter protocols and better training to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

It is crucial that those responsible for handling firearms on set are adequately qualified and take their duties seriously. Gutierrez Reed's actions, which included failing to conduct proper safety checks and giving the gun to a staff member unauthorized to handle it, were a clear violation of safety protocols. Her conviction sends a strong message that such negligence will not be tolerated.