“Rust” weapons supervisor convicted of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting on set

Defendant Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, was found not guilty of evidence tampering.

A jury in Santa Fe has found movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting on the set of the Alec Baldwin Western Rust.

Gutierrez-Reed, 24, served as the weapons supervisor for the production that saw cinematographer Halyna Hutchins killed and director Joel Souza wounded on Oct. 21, 2021, when a gun being wielded as a prop by Baldwin discharged a live round.

After two and a half hours of deliberations Wednesday, the 12-person jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty on one charge of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty on a charge of tampering with evidence. With the split verdict, she faces up to 18 months in prison.

Gutierrez-Reed did not visibly react to the reading of the verdict. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered that she be remanded into custody and set a sentencing hearing for April.

Jason Bowles, a lead lawyer for Gutierrez-Reed, told EW that the defense plans to appeal.

Over the course of the 10-day trial, prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed was neglectful in her duties supervising the safety of the prop weapons on Rust, arguing that she unknowingly brought live ammunition to the production and allowed it to remain on set for at least 12 days, according to the Associated Press.

The defense argued that the negligence on set extended beyond Gutierrez-Reed and implicated Baldwin, a star and producer of the film. Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys also asserted that investigators did not sufficiently look into the ammunition supplier in Albuquerque.

First assistant director David Halls was previously charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and agreed to a plea deal in March 2023, which saw him sentenced to six months of probation. Halls said he accepted the plea because he "was negligent in checking the gun properly." During Gutierrez-Reed's trial, Halls testified that he was the one to conduct the safety test on the Colt .45 in question.

Baldwin, meanwhile, has been charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter and is likely to stand trial in July. He has pleaded not guilty.

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

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