Hannah Gutierrez Reed, middle, along with her lawyer Jason Bowles and paralegal Carmella Sisneros throughout her sentencing listening to in state district court docket in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Monday, April 15, 2024. Reed, the armorer on the set of the Western movie “Rust,” was sentenced to 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter within the demise of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin in 2021. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal through AP, Pool)
A film weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in jail within the deadly capturing of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western movie “Rust,” throughout a listening to Monday through which tearful relations and pals gave testimonials that included requires justice and a punishment that will instill better accountability for security on movie units.
Film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March by a jury on a cost of involuntary manslaughter within the demise of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and has been held for greater than a month at a county jail on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing dwell ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” the place it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to observe primary gun security protocols.
Gutierrez-Reed was unsuccessful in her plea for a lesser sentencing, telling the choose she was not the monster that folks have made her out to be and that she had tried to do her finest on the set regardless of not having “correct time, sources and staffing.”
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins throughout a rehearsal on a film set exterior Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has pleaded not responsible to a cost of involuntary manslaughter. He’s scheduled for trial in July at a courthouse in Santa Fe.
The sentence towards Gutierrez-Reed was delivered by New Mexico Decide Mary Marlowe Sommer, who’s overseeing proceedings towards Baldwin. The choose stated something lower than the utmost sentence wouldn’t be applicable provided that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a severe violent offense.
“You have been the armorer, the one which stood between a protected weapon and a weapon that would kill somebody,” the choose informed Gutierrez-Reed. “You alone turned a protected weapon right into a deadly weapon. However for you, Ms. Hutchins could be alive, a husband would have his associate and a little bit boy would have his mom.”
Gutierrez-Reed teared up as Hutchins’ agent, Craig Mizrahi, spoke concerning the cinematographer’s creativity and described her as a rising star in Hollywood. He stated it was a sequence of occasions that led to Hutchins’ demise and that if the armorer had been doing her job, that chain would have been damaged.
Family and friends recalled Hutchins as brave, tenacious and compassionate — a “shiny beam of sunshine” who might have gone on to perform nice issues throughout the movie business.
“I actually really feel that this was resulting from negligence,” Steven Metz, an in depth good friend, testified. “This case must set a precedent for all the opposite actors, and cinematographers and each one on set whose lives are in danger when we’ve got negligence within the arms of an armorer, a supposed armorer.”
Los Angeles-based lawyer Gloria Allred learn a press release by Hutchins’ mom, Olga Solovey, who stated her life had been break up in two and that point didn’t heal, slightly it solely extended her ache and struggling. A video of a tearful Solovey, who lives in Ukraine, additionally was performed for the court docket.
“It’s the toughest factor to lose a baby. There’s no phrases to explain,” Solovey stated in her native language.
The Ukrainian kinfolk of Hutchins are searching for damages in her demise from Baldwin in reference to the capturing. Allred stated after Monday’s listening to that the household helps his felony prosecution.
Protection attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed requested leniency in sentencing — together with a attainable conditional discharge that will keep away from additional jail time and depart an adjudication of guilt off her document if sure circumstances are met.
Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted at trial of allegations she tampered with proof within the “Rust” investigation. She additionally has pleaded not responsible to a separate felony cost that she allegedly carried a gun right into a bar in Santa Fe the place firearms are prohibited.
Protection attorneys have highlighted Gutierrez-Reed’s comparatively younger age “and the devastating impact a felony may have on her life going ahead.”
They stated the 26-year-old will endlessly be affected negatively by intense publicity related along with her prosecution in parallel with an A-list actor, and has suffered from nervousness, concern and melancholy in consequence.
Particular prosecutor Kari Morrissey urged the choose to impose the utmost jail sentence and designate Gutierrez-Reed as a “severe violent offender” to restrict her eligibility for a sentence discount later, describing the defendant’s habits on the set of “Rust” as exceptionally reckless.
Morrissey informed the choose Monday that she reviewed almost 200 cellphone calls that Gutierrez-Reed had created from jail over the past month. She stated she hoped there could be a second when the defendant would take accountability for what occurred or specific real regret.
“That second has by no means come,” Morrissey stated. “Ms. Gutierrez continues to refuse to simply accept accountability for her function within the demise of Halyna Hutchins.”
Protection attorneys argued Monday that Gutierrez-Reed was remorseful and had breakdowns over Hutchins’ demise. In addition they pointed to systemic issues that led to the capturing.
“Rust” assistant director and security coordinator Dave Halls final 12 months pleaded no contest to negligent dealing with of a firearm and accomplished a sentence of six months unsupervised probation. “Rust” props grasp Sarah Zachry, who shared some duties over firearms on the set, signed an settlement with prosecutors to keep away from prosecution in return along with her cooperation.
The pending firearms cost towards Gutierrez-Reed stems from an incident at a bar in downtown Santa Fe, days earlier than she was employed to work because the armorer on “Rust.” Prosecutors say investigations into the deadly capturing led to the invention of a selfie video through which Gutierrez-Reed filmed herself carrying a firearm into the bar, whereas protection attorneys allege vindictive prosecution.