On Wednesday, a jury found a movie weapons supervisor guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with actor Alec Baldwin's shooting death of a cameraman during a rehearsal for the Western film Rust.
According to the AP, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's judgment places more culpability on her for the murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021, after the assistant director's no-contest plea of improper handling of a handgun last year. In January, Baldwin, who is both the main actor and co-producer on Rust, received an involuntary manslaughter accusation against him. On a filming location south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, he was aiming a pistol at Hutchins when it exploded, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza.
During a two-week trial in downtown Santa Fe, prosecutors said that Gutierrez-Reed disregarded standard industry gun safety protocols and inadvertently carried live ammunition onto the movie set.
The maximum punishment for the involuntary manslaughter case against Gutierrez-Reed is 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A second allegation of tampering with evidence was brought against her because it was alleged that, in an attempt to evade discovery after the shooting, she gave a tiny bag containing potential drugs to another crew member. Following the reading of the verdict, the defendant was ordered to be placed under custody. At the time of the production, 24-year-old Gutierrez-Reed was acting as an armorer in her second feature film.
At a ranch outside of Santa Fe, prosecutors claim Gutierrez-Reed inadvertently carried live weaponry into the scene. Preliminary procedures preceded Baldwin's July trial on a single count of involuntary manslaughter. "In the pursuit of justice for Halyna Hutchins, we end exactly where we began," prosecutor Kari Morrissey said to the jury during final remarks.
Defense lawyers said that Baldwin's negligent handling of guns was only one of several issues on the set that went far beyond Gutierrez-control Reed's.
According to the AP, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's judgment places more culpability on her for the murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021, after the assistant director's no-contest plea of improper handling of a handgun last year. In January, Baldwin, who is both the main actor and co-producer on Rust, received an involuntary manslaughter accusation against him. On a filming location south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, he was aiming a pistol at Hutchins when it exploded, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza.
During a two-week trial in downtown Santa Fe, prosecutors said that Gutierrez-Reed disregarded standard industry gun safety protocols and inadvertently carried live ammunition onto the movie set.
The maximum punishment for the involuntary manslaughter case against Gutierrez-Reed is 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A second allegation of tampering with evidence was brought against her because it was alleged that, in an attempt to evade discovery after the shooting, she gave a tiny bag containing potential drugs to another crew member. Following the reading of the verdict, the defendant was ordered to be placed under custody. At the time of the production, 24-year-old Gutierrez-Reed was acting as an armorer in her second feature film.
At a ranch outside of Santa Fe, prosecutors claim Gutierrez-Reed inadvertently carried live weaponry into the scene. Preliminary procedures preceded Baldwin's July trial on a single count of involuntary manslaughter. "In the pursuit of justice for Halyna Hutchins, we end exactly where we began," prosecutor Kari Morrissey said to the jury during final remarks.
Defense lawyers said that Baldwin's negligent handling of guns was only one of several issues on the set that went far beyond Gutierrez-control Reed's.
