March 6 (UPI) — A New Mexico jury on Wednesday found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer while filming the western “Rust” in 2021.
Gutierrez-Reed, an armorer on the set, faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The jury found her not guilty of evidence tampering, the charge for which arose from her allegedly transferring a small bag of cocaine to another person after the shooting occurred, CNN and ABC News reported.
Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was accused of negligence that led to the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, by actor and producer Alec Baldwin while on the film set near Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021.
Baldwin was practicing drawing a Colt .45 revolver when he fatally shot Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza with the same shot.
“This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake, and that one mistake was accidental,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the jury during closing arguments Wednesday.
Morrissey said Gutierrez-Reed committed “constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another.”
Morrissey also told the jury that Gutierrez-Reed had the ultimate responsibility to ensure no live rounds were on the film set and a large amount of circumstantial evidence affirms she failed to do so.
Gutierrez-Reed’s defense attorney Jason Bowles told the jury, which was comprised of seven women and five men, that “justice for Halyna does not mean injustice for Hannah,” Deadline reported.
Bowles told the jury the prosecution didn’t prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and said Gutierrez-Reed is a “convenient scapegoat” to protect others, such as actor-producer Baldwin. He said Baldwin frequently went “off-script” during the filming and is responsible for the death and injury.
Bowles cited a state OSHA investigation and fine against the film’s producers that he said affirms Gutierrez-Reed was not responsible or liable for the accidental shooting.
The trial was overseen by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.
Baldwin also is accused of involuntary manslaughter and has a trial scheduled to start on July 9 in Santa Fe.
The “Rust” film originally was a western that was being filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe when the shooting occurred. The film remains in production and its location has changed to Montana, but filming might not be completed.
