‘Rust’ movie armorer challenges conviction in fatal shooting
SANTA FE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE VIA AP
In this image taken from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. A jury convicted movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” Baldwin has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty ahead of a July trial date.
JIM WEBER/SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN VIA AP, POOL / MARCH 5
“Rust” movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed stands by her defense team during her involuntary manslaughter trial at the First Judicial District Courthouse in Santa Fe, N.M. A jury convicted Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.”
SANTA FE, N.M. >> A movie set armorer is challenging her conviction on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust,” court records released Monday show.
Defense attorneys for “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed filed a request for a new trial and urged a judge to release the defendant from jail as deliberations proceed.
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted by a jury this month in the shooting on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, during a rehearsal in October 2021. Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury in January and has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge, with trial set for July.
In an emergency court motion, defense attorneys Jason Bowles and Monnica Barreras asserted that the jury instructions in the case “could confuse the jury and lead to a nonunanimous verdict.” Similar objections to the jury instructions were rejected at trial.
Gutierrez-Reed could be sentenced as soon as April 15 under the current scheduling orders from Santa Fe-based Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.
Involuntary manslaughter carries a felony sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Gutierrez-Reed is being held pending sentencing at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility.
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Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he pulled back the gun’s hammer, but not the trigger.
Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed at a two-week trial for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust” where it was expressly prohibited. They also said she failed to follow basic gun safety protocols.
“Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a sentence of six months unsupervised probation.
