Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the woman responsible for loading the gun that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. The 26-year-old armourer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March but was acquitted of tampering with evidence.
The judge in the case, Mary Marlowe Sommer, handed down the maximum possible sentence, emphasizing the severity of Gutierrez-Reed’s actions and their role in the tragic incident. She stated that Gutierrez-Reed alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal one, ultimately leading to the death of Hutchins.
Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed had been negligent in ensuring the weapon was only loaded with dummy rounds, leading to the fatal shooting. They presented evidence that live bullets had been mixed with dummy rounds in a box of ammunition on set, with one of those bullets ending up in the firearm used by actor Alec Baldwin.
During the trial, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer maintained that she was not solely responsible for the shooting and pointed to Baldwin’s actions as a contributing factor. The attorney also stated that Gutierrez-Reed did not intend to bring live rounds to the set, attributing the tragedy to negligence rather than malice.
Following the verdict, Hutchins’ family expressed satisfaction with the outcome and called for further accountability from those involved in the incident. They emphasized the importance of justice for their loved one and expressed hope that all responsible parties would face legal consequences for their actions.
Despite the guilty verdict, Gutierrez-Reed maintained her innocence, expressing sorrow for the Hutchins family but stopping short of taking full responsibility for the tragedy. The judge and prosecutors criticized her lack of accountability and focus on her own career rather than the victims of the shooting.
