Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the “Rust” armorer found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the fatal shooting of the film’s cinematographer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Monday by a New Mexico district court judge.
A jury had convicted Gutierrez-Reed in March in the 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins — the first trial verdict connected to the incident. She has spent more than a month in a county jail awaiting her sentencing, according to the Associated Press.
The sentence was issued by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. Gutierrez-Reed faced a potential 18 months in state prison. Prosecutors had argued in court filings for her to receive the full sentence due to her “recklessness” and “complete and total failure to accept responsibility for her actions,” as seen through recorded jail phone conversations.
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Monday’s sentencing stems from an October 2021 incident on the set of “Rust.” During filming, Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene with a revolver when the gun went off with live ammunition, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin, who claimed he never pulled the trigger, was indicted by a grand jury for involuntary manslaughter in January with a trial set for this summer.
Prosecutors argued Gutierrez-Reed’s “unprofessional and sloppy” conduct led to there being live ammunition on set, which ultimately resulted in Hutchins’s death. The prosecution alleged in court filings that the armorer was hung over while loading the gun and tampered with evidence by handing drugs to someone else involved with the film.
But the defense argued that Gutierrez-Reed was rushed to do her job and wasn’t given enough resources to properly prepare the weapons on set. Her attorney Jason Bowles argued that Baldwin’s failure to handle the gun on set led to the fatal shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed’s verdict and trial were a glimpse at what Baldwin could face when his trial starts on July 9. Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter by New Mexico prosecutors in January 2023 before those charges were dropped as prosecutors sought more time to investigate. Baldwin has said he pulled the gun’s hammer — not the trigger — in the shooting. But a forensics expert noted that the gun couldn’t have gone off without pressure on the trigger. If convicted, Baldwin would similarly face 18 months in prison.
A jury had convicted Gutierrez-Reed in March in the 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins — the first trial verdict connected to the incident. She has spent more than a month in a county jail awaiting her sentencing, according to the Associated Press.
The sentence was issued by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. Gutierrez-Reed faced a potential 18 months in state prison. Prosecutors had argued in court filings for her to receive the full sentence due to her “recklessness” and “complete and total failure to accept responsibility for her actions,” as seen through recorded jail phone conversations.
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Monday’s sentencing stems from an October 2021 incident on the set of “Rust.” During filming, Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene with a revolver when the gun went off with live ammunition, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin, who claimed he never pulled the trigger, was indicted by a grand jury for involuntary manslaughter in January with a trial set for this summer.
Prosecutors argued Gutierrez-Reed’s “unprofessional and sloppy” conduct led to there being live ammunition on set, which ultimately resulted in Hutchins’s death. The prosecution alleged in court filings that the armorer was hung over while loading the gun and tampered with evidence by handing drugs to someone else involved with the film.
But the defense argued that Gutierrez-Reed was rushed to do her job and wasn’t given enough resources to properly prepare the weapons on set. Her attorney Jason Bowles argued that Baldwin’s failure to handle the gun on set led to the fatal shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed’s verdict and trial were a glimpse at what Baldwin could face when his trial starts on July 9. Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter by New Mexico prosecutors in January 2023 before those charges were dropped as prosecutors sought more time to investigate. Baldwin has said he pulled the gun’s hammer — not the trigger — in the shooting. But a forensics expert noted that the gun couldn’t have gone off without pressure on the trigger. If convicted, Baldwin would similarly face 18 months in prison.
