“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed sentenced to 18 months in prison over deadly 2021 shooting

The gunsmith “Rust” who last month was found guilty of manslaughter in the deadly shooting of Halyna Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer, was sentenced today in New Mexico state court to 18 months in prison. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed received the maximum sentence for her role in the 2021 tragedy that several experts have since called a preventable incident, where actor Alec Baldwin fired live ammunition from a prop gun on the set during of a repetition.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer handed down the sentence, concluding an emotional hearing Monday morning.

Gutierrez-Reed’s sentencing hearing began at 10:30 a.m. in Santa Fe. She sat in the courtroom and appeared to have tears in her eyes at times as Joel Souza, the writer and director of “Rust” who was injured in the shooting, Craig Mizrahi, Hutchins’ former agent, and several of his friends gave statements about the impact of his death.

“What I want is just not possible. What I want is for everyone to be okay and for lives not to be destroyed,” said Souza, who primarily spoke about the loss suffered by Hutchins’ husband, their son and the rest of her family.

“One moment the world made sense, and the next moment it didn’t. It still doesn’t, and I don’t know if it ever will again,” he told the courtroom during a virtual call. “Those of us who were fortunate enough to have shared his (Hutchins’) fleeting time on this planet are better off for it.”

Mizrahi and Emilia Mendieta, who identified herself in court as a close friend and former classmate of Hutchins, each shared personal anecdotes about the cinematographer, who has been frequently described since his death as a “rising star » talented artist approaching a major break in her career when she died.

“The circumstances of the disaster force us to ask ourselves many questions, one in particular: how could this happen?” » said Mizrahi. He suggested that broad failures by Gutierrez-Reed as well as “Rust’s” management were to blame for the shooting.

“When the producers hired someone with virtually no experience to be not only a gunsmith but also an assistant prop master, two very difficult positions, they made the crucial decision to put the safety of the cast and crew on the back burner.” , did he declare. . “As for Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, I believe that she should not have held either of these positions, much less both, but that once accepted, the responsibility should have been taken more seriously. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and we all know the result.”

Mendieta also called Hutchins’ death “the result of a massive system failure.” She said holding Gutierrez-Reed accountable would serve as a reminder to the entire industry “that actions taken to compromise workplace safety, even if unintentional, have consequences.”

“It all comes down to a very simple question: Why was there a live bullet on set?” » said Mendieta. “A live bullet should never have found its way onto the set, much less the gun, period. And that’s where Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, as the gunsmith in ‘Rust,’ let it go Halina.”

Attorney Gloria Allred read at the hearing a statement written by Hutchins’ mother, Olga, who herself made oral remarks in a video recorded in Ukraine.

“It’s the hardest thing to lose a child,” Hutchins’ mother said. “And time doesn’t heal. Two and a half years have passed and the situation is getting worse and worse.”

Last month, a jury convicted Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter, brought against her by the state of New Mexico following the “Rust” shooting. The 27 year old former weapons supervisor on the Western film could also receive a fine of up to $5,000, as well as prison time, at sentencing. She was initially charged with a second state count of tampering with evidence, but was acquitted at trial.

Authorities took Gutierrez-Reed into custody once the verdicts were read. His defense blamed the film’s management for the filming, arguing that there were serious security issues on the set of “Rust” that were beyond his jurisdiction. His defense lawyers focused on the fact that the film main supplier of ammunition had apparently not been investigated.

Gutierrez-Reed, the daughter of a Hollywood-based gunsmith, had already pleaded not guilty has both charges. After the jury returned its verdict on March 6, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, told CBS News that he planned to appeal “a number of issues that arose during the trial.” But subsequent filings show that the defense’s attempts to secure a new trial with his release, and then parole, following the conviction were quickly rejected by the state.

Prosecutors had throughout the trial portrayed Gutierrez-Reed as reckless and irresponsible, aiming to convince jurors that her negligence and “willful disregard” for the safety of others ultimately endangered her “Rust” co-workers and caused the death of Hutchins. The state sought the maximum prison sentence for Gutierrez-Reed’s manslaughter conviction, as prosecutors said she appeared to show no signs of remorse over the deadly incident in court.

Additional documents filed in the case reference at least one other weapons-related felony charge against Gutierrez-Reed in New Mexico, which is still pending, for allegedly “intentionally concealing a firearm from security at a local bar to bring the firearm into the bar.” ” after arriving in the state for the shooting. Prosecutors said she then recorded a selfie video in the bar’s bathroom, bragging about her successful ruse and showing “a nickel-plated semi-automatic pistol” toward the camera The state also charged her with possessing cocaine while working as a firearms expert on “Rust,” which is also considered a felony in New Mexico.

The allegation regarding illegal substance use was presented as evidence during Gutierrez-Reed’s trial earlier this year. The trial itself took place over just over two weeks and primarily focused on the origin of six live bullets found on the set of “Rust” as investigators began their investigation into the shooting on 21 October 2021. That day, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene from “Rust”, which will be filmed at an unspecified later date, with Hutchins and Souza.

Their repetition occurred on the set of Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location for Western films in suburban Santa Fe, and focused primarily on Baldwin pulling a .45 caliber revolver from a holster, while he was in character, and pointing the gun in the direction. of Hutchins and Souza as they watched the scene unfold behind a monitor. In one shot, the weapon fired and discharged live rounds, one of which passed through Hutchins before striking Souza. Hutchins was pronounced dead at an area hospital less than two hours later. Souza was injured but survived.

The gun should never have contained live ammunition, according to industry regulations and union guidelines governing the use of firearms on film sets, and the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office had said in his initial probable cause statement that the evidence indicated that the scene was Baldwin rehearsing. shouldn’t have even required the use of blanks. Inert dummy rounds would have sufficed instead, the statement said, citing expert weapons consultants who noted that a plastic gun or replica should have been used during rehearsal.

It was Gutierrez-Reed’s responsibility to manage the weapons used on the set of “Rust,” including the gun that discharged and fatally shot Hutchins, the prosecutor’s office said. But there is conflicting accounts as to exactly how live ammunition could have ended up in the gun. The probable cause statement first alleged that Gutierrez-Reed loaded the .45 before taking a lunch break on Oct. 21, stored it, and retrieved it after lunch before returning it, without performing safety checks. necessary security, first. Deputy Director, David Halls.

Halls has already served six months of unsupervised parole for negligent use of a firearm, after pleading no contest and admitting to improperly handling the gun that was fired on the set. He gave emotional testimony in court during Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, saying she handed the gun to Baldwin twice during the Oct. 21 rehearsal — first, without any ammunition, and a second time, with five dummy bullets and one live bullet.

Gutierrez-Reed said in a report said through her attorneys in November 2021 that she performed a proper safety check on the .45 revolver before handing it over and did not know how the live bullets ended up inside the gun. ‘armed.

“No one could have predicted or thought that someone was introducing live cartridges into this assembly,” the statement said. Gutierrez-Reed also said she asked the actors involved in “Rust” not to point their guns at other people on set.

Baldwin insisted that he removed the hammer from the revolver during this October 21 rehearsal, but did not pull the trigger. Since filming, the actor has settled a lawsuit with Hutchins’ family, filed one against several members of the “Rust” crew, including Gutierrez-Reed, for negligence, and pleaded not guilty to one charge brought against him for manslaughter. This case has not yet been judged.