Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the gunmaker behind the movie “Rust,” has been found guilty of fatally shooting cinematographer Halina Hutchins on a New Mexico film set.
Hutchins was shot and killed by Alec Baldwin while rehearsing a scene for his new Western. Baldwin, who also co-produced the film, pointed a prop gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021, when the weapon suddenly opened fire, hitting Hutchins, 42, and injuring the film director Joel Souza.
A New Mexico jury found Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for ensuring the safety of all guns on the set, guilty of manslaughter. Prosecutors allege the 25-year-old loaded a fully functional .45 revolver used by Baldwin with dummy ammunition and at least one live round.
“She was negligent, she was careless, she was ill-considered,” prosecutor Cary Morrissey said in closing arguments at the trial.
She described “constant, never-ending safety lapses” on the set and said Gutierrez-Reed showed a “surprising lack of diligence” regarding gun safety.
Gutierrez-Reed faces up to three years in prison. She has pleaded not guilty and her lawyers argue she was used as a scapegoat for the incident, which they say Baldwin bears ultimate responsibility for.
Baldwin is also charged with manslaughter and is accused of causing Hutchins’ death by negligence or “utter disregard or disregard” for safety. He has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in July.
David Halls, the film’s assistant director, was sentenced to six months probation, unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service and a firearms safety course for negligent use of a deadly weapon. Halls testified for the defense about Reed’s abilities as an armorer and said he was responsible for the shooting.
“I got the security clearance through,” Halls said during his testimony, at times wiping tears.
The prosecution’s case focused on how a round of live ammunition ended up on a movie set and in a prop gun handled by Baldwin – a fully functional firearm. As the film’s armorer, she was tasked with inspecting every weapon on the set and making sure they were safe and free of live ammunition.
Prosecutors argued throughout the trial that Gutierrez-Reed failed to follow basic safety procedures she was expected to undertake and that her work on set was unprofessional and “sloppy” – she allegedly left behind a gun and ammunition Unattended and disorganized.
Prosecutors said during the trial that live ammunition that Gutierrez-Reed allegedly brought from his home was found on the set.
Prosecutor Jason Lewis said in his investigative report: “We believe it was the negligent actions and errors of the defendant, Ms. Gutierrez, that resulted in Ms. Hutchins’ death and the occurrence of the live broadcast. “Opening remarks.
The state also claims she used marijuana in the production. Gutierrez-Reed’s defense attorney said prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she fired live ammunition on the set and argued that Hutchins’ death was caused by Baldwin pointing the weapon at the cameraman.
“It was not in the script that Mr. Baldwin pointed the weapon,” defense attorney Jason Powers said. “She had no idea Mr. Baldwin would do what he did.”
“Ms. Gutierrez did not point to the weapon,” he said.
The two-week trial featured dozens of witnesses, including emotional testimony from staff, who described chaotic scenes where safety was “secondary”.
Crew member Ross Addiego told the jury that production had been moving at a “ridiculous pace” and said Gutierrez-Reed was not as professional as other armorers he had worked with. He also said the firearm was not protected.
“Two people were injured on a film set. This not only affects me, it affects the film industry,” he said.
Souza testified about his experience being shot and recounted the chaotic aftermath of the incident. He said Gutierrez-Reed apologized to him, but he was still in disbelief about what happened and insisted to medical staff that there could be no real bullets in the gun.
“I just kept saying, ‘You don’t understand,'” he said. “No, no, no – this is a movie scene. That’s impossible.”
Gutierrez-Reed did not testify during the trial, but in police interviews shown during the proceedings, she expressed shock at the presence of live ammunition at the scene and insisted she had inspected the weapon before it reached Baldwin.
“I wish I could have checked it out more,” Gutierrez-Reed said in an October 2021 interview.
The proceedings could have significant consequences for Baldwin. Witnesses in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial included two firearms experts whose testimony cast doubt on Baldwin’s account of the shooting and his claims that the gun malfunctioned.
