Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the gunsmith in the fatal shooting in the film “Rust,” is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
New Mexico prosecutors have convicted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the 24-year-old who served as a gun supervisor in the fatal shooting that left a cameraman dead when Alec Baldwin fired the gun during an on-set rehearsal of a Western film hand was shot.
Gutierrez-Reed was charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors alleged during the two-week trial that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition to the set of “Rust,” violating the industry's basic gun safety guidelines.
The manslaughter charge against Gutierrez-Reed carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Immediately after the verdict was announced, officials ordered the defendant's detention after the verdict was read out in court.
Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintained during the trial that he was not directly to blame for Hutchins' death. Baldwin also pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a separate case.
The evidence and statements have implications for Baldwin, who pointed a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza.
Live ammunition on the Rust film set
Authorities discovered six rounds of ammunition on the film set, including in a box, a gun belt and a belt worn by Baldwin, who said he believed the gun contained only bullets that could not be fired.
Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers say she was unfairly used as a scapegoat. They claim that the real bullets came to the set from an Albuquerque-based supplier of dummy bullets.
They also pointed to a broader “atmosphere” of safety deficiencies uncovered by an investigation by state workplace safety inspectors that goes beyond Gutierrez-Reed.
Additionally, in a separate case, Gutierrez-Reed is accused of carrying a gun into a downtown Santa Fe bar in violation of state law. Her lawyers say the charges were used to coerce her into making a false confession about handling live ammunition on the set of “Rust.”
A safe workplace: Gutiérrez-Reed's responsibility
According to state Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the storage, maintenance and handling of firearms and ammunition on set, as well as training performers who would handle firearms.
Real bullets are usually distinguished from simulated bullets by a small hole in the brass cartridge, indicating that there are no explosives inside, or by shaking the bullet to hear the sound of a bullet being inserted. Another characteristic of counterfeit bullets is that they have a missing primer or depressions on the bottom of the cartridge.
Rust Movie Productions paid a $100,000 fine to the state for safety violations that violated standard industry protocols. The report included statements that production managers took limited or no action to address two mishaps on the set before Hutchins was shot.
When will Alec Balwin be brought to trial?
Baldwin, the star and co-producer of “Rust,” was charged in January with one count of involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin said he removed the gun's hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.
The indictment against Baldwin sets out two alternative standards of prosecution, one based on negligent use of a firearm and another related to negligence without reasonable caution or “prudence,” also defined as “total disregard or indifference to the safety of others.”
Legal experts say this latest standard could expand the investigation beyond Baldwin's handling of the gun.
Prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis initially dismissed a manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed that the gun may have been modified before the shooting and was malfunctioning.
A more recent analysis of the weapon concluded that “the trigger had to be pulled or squeezed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer from the test revolver.”
“Rust” used a working revolver. The industry guidelines that applied to “Rust” state that “live ammunition should never be used or brought into a studio or environment.” It also states: “Treat all firearms as if they were loaded.”
No date has been set for Baldwin's trial.
