Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin to Face Renewed Charges in 'Rust' Set Tragedy (Photo: REUTERS)

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the ill-fated Western film "Rust," was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday for her role in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, reached a verdict after less than three hours of deliberations, following two weeks of testimony about safety lapses on the film set.

Gutierrez Reed, 26, was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence. She faces up to 18 months in prison at sentencing, which is expected to take place in April. Following the verdict, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Gutierrez Reed to be remanded into custody.

The conviction marks the first in the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting on the "Rust" set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe. Actor Alec Baldwin, who held the prop gun that fired the fatal shot, is set to face his own manslaughter trial in July. The film's first assistant director, Dave Halls, took a plea deal last year to a misdemeanor count of negligent handling of a gun and served six months of unsupervised probation.

 

Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez Reed repeatedly violated safety protocols on set and acted negligently in performing her duties as armorer, ultimately leading to Hutchins' death. Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey stated in her closing arguments, "This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another."

Defense attorney Jason Bowles countered that Gutierrez Reed was being used as a scapegoat and that the film's management was responsible for the safety failures on set. He also alleged that the "Rust" production team created a chaotic and unsafe environment that put Gutierrez Reed under "really tough conditions to keep up with."

To convict on the involuntary manslaughter charge, jurors had to agree that Gutierrez Reed acted with "willful disregard for the safety of others" and that Hutchins' death was a "foreseeable" consequence of her actions. Juror Alberto Sanchez told reporters outside the courthouse that the jury reached a "fair" verdict, stating, "Someone died. You gotta take responsibility. Especially when you're handling weapons and you're in charge of those. That's your job."

Gutierrez Reed's defense team plans to appeal the verdict. Bowles told CNN in an email, "The evidence wasn't sufficient to convict. It was a lot of guesswork, a lot of speculation."

The case has highlighted the movie industry's safety standards and the specific violations that occurred on the "Rust" set. A government report published roughly six months after the shooting said the movie set "willfully violated" safety rules and "demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety." Rust Movie Productions, LLC was fined for its actions.

During the trial, jurors heard from more than 30 witnesses, including movie crew members, law enforcement officials, and forensics experts. They also watched videos of body camera footage from the day of the shooting, in which Gutierrez Reed told a Santa Fe County sheriff's corporal that there was never live ammunition kept on set and that she had checked the prop guns and "dummy" rounds the morning before the shooting.

Gloria Allred, who has sued Baldwin and the "Rust" producers on behalf of Hutchins' parents and sister, issued a statement expressing satisfaction with the verdict but emphasizing that her clients wish for everyone responsible to be held accountable. "Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process," Allred and co-counsel John Carpenter said in the statement. "We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions."

As the first conviction in the "Rust" shooting case, Gutierrez Reed's guilty verdict serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of adhering to strict safety protocols on film sets and the tragic consequences that can result from negligence and complacency. The case has also reignited discussions about the need for improved safety measures and oversight in the entertainment industry to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.