Convicted ‘Rust’ Armorer Will Be Sentenced in April
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Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be sentenced on April 15 after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter last week in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Gutierrez-Reed could face a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison, while probation and fines are also on the table. The special prosecutors overseeing the case have not yet signaled the severity of the punishment they will pursue, and did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
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In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said of the upcoming sentencing, “We are confident that the Court will consider everything, including all of the mitigating evidence, and enter a judgment that is reasonable and just.”
Bowles also told Rolling Stone after the conviction came in that Gutierrez-Reed would appeal the verdict. She is currently being held at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility.
After a 10-day trial, it took the jury just over two hours to return the guilty verdict, though they did acquit Gutierrez-Reed on a separate charge of tampering with evidence. Judge Mary Marlow Sommer said at the time, “This is a death. It’s criminal negligence, but it’s still a death.”
Hutchins’ family issued a statement after the verdict saying they were “satisfied” that the jury had found Gutierrez-Reed “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna’s life.” They added: “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.”
During closing arguments, prosecutors called Gutierrez-Reed “negligent,” “careless,” and “thoughtless,” arguing that she brought live ammunition to the Rust set and failed to notice the bullets had mixed with the inert dummy rounds she was loading into prop weapons. Prosecutor Kari Morrissey said the armorer’s “entire job is to be responsible,” and she was “not paying attention, not taking her job seriously.”
Bowles, meanwhile, said his client was a “scapegoat” who was forced to juggle multiple jobs on set. He also appeared to try to cast more of the blame on Alec Baldwin, who will be tried in a separate involuntary manslaughter case later this year (he’s pleaded not guilty). Bowles claimed the fatal shooting was not “foreseeable” because Baldwin went “off script” while they were rehearsing a scene that preceded the incident. “It was not in the script for Mr. Baldwin to point the weapon,” Bowles said. “[Gutierrez-Reed] did not know Mr. Baldwin was going to do what he did.”
Gutierrez-Reed is the second person to be held accountable for Hutchins’ death. The film’s assistant director, David Halls, made an early deal with prosecutors, pleading no contest to a misdemeanor count of negligent handling of a gun. He served six months of probation.
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