A verdict has been reached in the case of the tragic shooting incident involving actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the film “Rust.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons handler responsible for loading the gun that discharged and fatally struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
However, Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of a second charge of tampering with evidence related to the shooting.
The 26-year-old now faces a potential jail sentence of up to 18 months, with her sentencing scheduled for a later date. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin, aged 65, awaits his own trial for manslaughter, set to take place in July.
Reacting to the verdict, a lawyer representing Baldwin described the outcome of Gutierrez-Reed’s case as “very positive” for his client’s upcoming trial.
The defense argued that Baldwin could not have reasonably anticipated the presence of a live round on set, as the responsibility for firearm safety, maintenance, and ammunition lay with the armorer, Misty Marris.
The tragic incident occurred during a rehearsal on the set of the Western film in New Mexico, when a gun handled by Baldwin discharged a live round, resulting in the death of Halyna Hutchins, aged 42. After three hours of deliberation, the jury delivered the verdict on Wednesday.
Gutierrez-Reed, displaying little emotion, was escorted away by officers following the verdict. As she left, she offered comforting words to her tearful mother, reassuring her that “It’ll be OK,” according to reports from Reuters.
The family of Halyna Hutchins expressed their satisfaction with the verdict, providing some solace in the midst of their profound grief over the loss of their loved one.
Their statement 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.”
“It means that someone has been held legally criminally culpable for the death of Halyna Hutchins,” Misty Marris told CNN.
Prosecutors said Gutierrez-Reed had failed to ensure the weapon was only loaded with dummy rounds – fake bullets used to look and sound like real ones.
“This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being,” prosecutor Kari T Morrissey said during closing arguments on Wednesday.
Gutierrez-Reed was “negligent”, “careless” and “thoughtless” when she failed to notice that live bullets had mixed with dummy rounds in a box of ammunition on set, Ms Morrissey told the jurors.
One of those bullets was in the firearm that was used by Mr Baldwin, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Gutierrez-Reed had brought a box of live bullets to the New Mexico film set from her California home. They said these live rounds slowly spread throughout the set over the course of 12 days.
Ms Morrissey said she believed the armourer did not intend to bring live rounds to the set, but rather that Ms Hutchins’ death was a case of tragic negligence.
The prosecutor added that Gutierrez-Reed was more “worried about her career” and less about the victims in the aftermath of the shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed did not testify in the two-week trial, but her lawyer said in closing arguments that prosecutors had failed to prove his client was the sole person responsible for the fatal shooting.
Prosecutors alleged that Gutierrez-Reed neglected to ensure that the firearm was loaded solely with dummy rounds, which are imitation bullets designed to resemble real ones. “This case highlights a series of ongoing safety lapses that led to the tragic loss of life,” stated prosecutor Kari T Morrissey during closing arguments on Wednesday.
Morrissey characterized Gutierrez-Reed’s actions as “negligent,” “careless,” and “reckless,” asserting that she failed to recognize the presence of live ammunition mixed with dummy rounds in a box of ammunition on the set. Prosecutors informed the jurors that one of these live rounds ended up in the firearm used by Alec Baldwin.
Additionally, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that Gutierrez-Reed had transported a box of live ammunition from her residence in California to the film set in New Mexico, where the live rounds gradually dispersed over the course of 12 days.
While Morrissey believed that the armorer did not intend to introduce live ammunition onto the set, she argued that Halyna Hutchins’ death resulted from tragic negligence.
Morrissey further criticized Gutierrez-Reed for prioritizing her career over the well-being of the victims in the aftermath of the shooting.
During the two-week trial, Gutierrez-Reed opted not to testify. However, her lawyer contended in closing arguments that prosecutors had failed to establish that his client bore sole responsibility for the fatal incident.
“The [ammunition] boxes don’t matter, because we don’t know what was in them three or four days before,” her lawyer, Jason Bowles told the jury, arguing his client did not know that there were real bullets on set.
Mr Bowles also blamed Mr Baldwin, arguing that he had “gone off-script” when he pointed the gun at film crew.
“It was not in the script for Mr Baldwin to point the weapon,” he said. “She didn’t know that Mr Baldwin was going to do what he did.”
He vowed to file an appeal.
Trial witnesses included the film’s director, Joel Souza, who was also shot in the incident but survived.
Mr Souza said he remembered looking up at Gutierrez-Reed after he was shot, and hearing her repeatedly say: “I’m sorry, Joel.”
The jury was also shown emotional and distressing footage of the aftermath of the shooting, when the Colt .45 revolver held by Mr Baldwin went off.
It included a video that appeared to show Ms Hutchins’ final moments, with paramedics frantically trying to save her life.
Gutierrez-Reed was also found not guilty of evidence tampering stemming from accusations that she attempted to dispose of a small bag of narcotics after the shooting.
Last year, the movie’s cast and crew finished filming in tribute to Ms Hutchins, with her husband serving as an executive producer.