“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed sentenced to 18 months in prison for fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins

Gutierrez-Reed, 24, was found guilty on one charge of involuntary manslaughter in March.

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of manslaughter in the fatal movie set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Santa Fe judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled Monday that the movie armorer will receive a maximum sentence of 18 months of incarceration at a New Mexico women's correctional facility.

Prior to sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed, 24, prepared a statement that she read aloud in court: "First and foremost, my heart aches for the Hutchins family and friends and colleagues as well, and it has since the day this tragedy occurred. Halyna has been and always will be an inspiration to me. I understand that she was taken too soon, and I pray that you all find peace."

She continued, becoming emotional, “My heart goes out to the film industry for the devastating pain that this tragedy caused and the old wounds that have been reopened. I am saddened by the way the media sensationalized our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster. Which has actually been the total opposite of what has been in my heart."

Gutierrez-Reed was serving as the weapons supervisor on the set of the Alec Baldwin starring Western when an Oct. 21, 2021, incident resulted in the death of Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer. Director Joel Souza also sustained injuries but recovered.

Hutchins was killed when a gun being wielded as a prop by Baldwin discharged a live round. Baldwin was told the gun was "cold," meaning it did not contain live ammunition, and he has maintained that he did not pull the trigger. Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for loading the live round into the gun that Baldwin used. After two and a half hours of deliberations on March 6, a 12-person jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty on one charge of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty on a charge of tampering with evidence.

Over the course of her 10-day trial, prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed was neglectful in her duties supervising the safety of the prop weapons on Rust, unknowingly brought live ammunition to the production and allowed it to remain on set for at least 12 days. Per The Associated Press, prosecutor Kari Morrissey closed his argument by describing the "constant, never-ending safety failures" on the set of Rust, including what he described as Gutierrez-Reed's "astonishing lack of diligence” with gun safety.

Her defense team implicated Baldwin, the film's star and executive producer, arguing that the negligence on set extended beyond the armorer. Her attorney’s also asserted that investigators did not sufficiently look into the ammunition supplier in Albuquerque.

During Gutierrez-Reed's trial, first assistant director David Halls — who was previously charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and agreed to a plea deal in March 2023 — testified that he was the one to conduct the safety test on the Colt .45 in question. He said that he gave it to Baldwin and the duo were discussing with Hutchins where to point the gun when it went off. Halls said he accepted the plea offered to him because he "was negligent in checking the gun properly."

As for Baldwin, he's been charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter and is expected to stand trial in July. He has pleaded not guilty.

Rust, which has since completed filming, does not yet have a release date.

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Related content:

• Alec Baldwin charged again with involuntary manslaughter in fatal Rust shooting

• Rust A.D. breaks down in trial testimony, recalls Halyna Hutchins telling him 'I can't feel my legs'

• Rust first-look photos show work of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

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