Santa Fe — In a New Mexico state court on Monday, a movie weapons supervisor might be sentenced to 18 months for shooting a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western picture “Rust.”
A jury found movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the murder of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in March. She has been imprisoned in a county jail on Santa Fe's outskirts for over a month.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of “Rust,” pointed a gun at Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing him and wounded director Joel Souza. Baldwin denies involuntary manslaughter, saying he pushed back the gun's hammer but not the trigger before it went off. Gutierrez-Reed's judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, will preside over his July trial.
Gutierrez-Reed may be fined $5,000. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unintentionally carrying live ammunition onto the “Rust” set and violating gun safety rules. After two weeks, the jury deliberated for three hours before deciding.
Gutierrez-Reed's defense attorneys asked mercy in sentencing, including a conditional discharge that would save jail time and remove an adjudication of guilt provided certain criteria are met. Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of tampering with “Rust” evidence. She has pleaded not guilty to a felony allegation of carrying a gun into a Santa Fe pub where guns are prohibited.
Defense attorneys noted Gutierrez-Reed's youth “and the devastating effect a felony will have on her life going forward.” They argue the 26-year-old will always be influenced by heavy publicity related to her prosecution alongside an A-list actor, causing worry, fear, and melancholy.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey requested the judge to impose the maximum jail sentence and classify Gutierrez-Reed as a “serious violent offender” to limit her sentence reduction possibilities, citing her reckless behavior on “Rust” as extreme. She said Gutierrez-Reed's words in jail phone calls monitored by authorities reveal a lack of remorse.
Last year, “Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls pled no contest to careless firearm handling and served six months unsupervised probation. “Rust” props master Sarah Zachry, who handled firearms on the set, agreed to cooperate with investigators to avoid prosecution.
His childhood friend and romantic partner Sean Kridelbaugh wrote that Gutierrez-Reed cries constantly out of remorse for the shooting and that further incarceration would interfere with cancer care. Friends and former coworkers encouraged the judge to prioritize rehabilitation above punishment in sentencing.
Gutierrez-Reed faces a guns charge for an altercation at a downtown Santa Fe bar days before she was employed as “Rust”'s armorer. Defense attorneys allege vindictive prosecution, while prosecutors say a selfie video of Gutierrez-Reed carrying a pistol into the pub was found during the deadly shooting inquiry.
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