The gunsmith from the filming set of the movie “Rust”, Hannah Gutierrez-Reedwas found guilty this Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter and could face a sentence of up to a year and a half in prison for the incident that cost the life of the director of photography of the film starring Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins.
Gutierrez-Reed remained expressionless during the trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the jury foreman read the verdict. The judge ordered her arrest and two agents took her away before her mother’s astonished look as she could not contain her tears.
“This case is about constant and unending security failures that resulted in the death of a human being. Gutiérrez-Reed was “negligent“, “careless” and “reckless“failing to realize that real bullets had been mixed with fake bullets in an ammunition box on set,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey said during closing arguments.
The jury unanimously agreed that Gutierrez-Reed acted negligently by not properly verifying that the ammunition from the 45 caliber revolver used in the filming of this western was not real, so the death of the director of photography was a “foreseeable consequence” of his way of proceeding.
The person also responsible for the security protocol, which was acquitted of another charge of tampering with evidence, faces a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and received a preventive detention order after the verdict reached after two weeks of testimony.
A few months ago, much of the original cast and crew of ‘Rust’ reunited to finish filming the film in what the production described as a tribute to Halyna Hutchins with her husband as executive producer.
Keep reading:
· Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Rust gunsmith, the possible “scapegoat” of the case
· Date revealed for Alec Baldwin’s trial for the involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins
· Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty after new accusation of involuntary manslaughter