Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film “Rust,” is set to remain in jail as her lawyers appeal her conviction in the death of the film’s cinematographer. The Santa Fe judge denied a defense request for release and declined to order a new trial. Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15. Her conviction for involuntary manslaughter came after prosecutors alleged that she brought live bullets to the set and failed to properly check them before inserting one into Alec Baldwin’s gun, leading to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin himself is expected to face his own involuntary manslaughter trial in July for pointing the gun at Hutchins and allegedly pulling the trigger. Gutierrez-Reid was taken into custody following the jury’s verdict and her legal team filed an emergency motion for release citing the New Mexico Supreme Court’s ruling in the State v. Taylor case. However, prosecutors argued that the two cases had differing circumstances, and the judge agreed, denying the defense’s motion for a new trial.
In the Taylor case, the Supreme Court overturned a guilty verdict due to confusing jury instructions that included the use of “and/or” which was found to cause confusion. In Gutierrez-Reed’s case, only two acts were separated by the “and/or” clause which the judge felt did not warrant a new trial based on the Taylor ruling. Marlowe Sommer announced that she would provide a written order on the matter on Monday.
The judge’s decision to deny Gutierrez-Reed’s request for release reflects the seriousness of the death caused by her actions, as determined by the jury’s conviction of involuntary manslaughter. The defense will continue to appeal the conviction as Gutierrez-Reed faces the prospect of serving time in prison. As the legal proceedings continue, the tragic incident on the set of “Rust” involving the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins remains a focus of ongoing public attention and scrutiny within the film industry.
