The tragic culmination of Halyna Hutchins’ life has resulted in a judge upholding the controversial manslaughter conviction against armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the “Rust” shooting death.
At a Glance
- A New Mexico judge upheld an involuntary manslaughter conviction against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin on the set of “Rust.”
- Gutierrez-Reed requested dismissal of her conviction or a new trial, claiming prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence.
- Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the armorer’s attorneys did not prove the trial outcome would have been different with the evidence.
- The judge also denied Gutierrez-Reed’s request for release from custody, deeming it moot after denying a new trial.
- Baldwin’s trial was halted in July due to police and prosecutorial misconduct and evidence withholding.
Conviction Upheld, New Trial Denied
A New Mexico judge upheld the conviction of movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” set. Gutierrez-Reed’s legal team had sought to overturn the conviction or secure a new trial, citing withheld evidence and officer misconduct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac25HkYbwc0
The defense argued that critical reports, interviews, and ammunition data were suppressed, which could have impacted the trial. Despite these claims, however, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer determined the defense did not sufficiently show that such evidence would have altered the trial’s outcome.
Details of the Incident
In case you forgot what happened in this case, actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene on a Santa Fe movie set in October 2021 when his gun discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Gutierrez-Reed, as the armorer, was charged with responsibility for the live ammunition somehow making its way onto the set and ultimately causing the fatal incident.
Prosecutors placed the blame on Gutierrez-Reed for not following basic gun safety protocols. A New Mexico judge on Monday upheld an involuntary manslaughter conviction against a movie armorer in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.”
The ruling denied Gutierrez-Reed’s motion for release from custody after denying her plea for a new trial, rendering the request moot. Baldwin’s parallel proceedings have been equally complicated with accusations of misconduct and evidence suppression, further clouding the case.
A New Mexico judge has denied “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s request for new trial and upheld her involuntary manslaughter conviction in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. https://t.co/yjBWGBP9rQ
— CNN (@CNN) September 30, 2024
Future Legal Battles
The March guilty verdict resulted in Gutierrez-Reed receiving the maximum penalty of 18 months. Jurors did acquit her of evidence tampering, yet new legal challenges are on the horizon, with an appeal of her conviction currently pending in a higher court.
“Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust” and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols,” the Associated Press reported.
The case is over – for now at least.
