Almost six weeks after the “Rust” weapons master was found guilty of negligent homicide, a court in Santa Fe according to US media reports The sentence was announced: the young woman had to be in prison for 18 months, which is the maximum sentence that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed could receive.
A prop pistol was loaded with live ammunition during the filming of the western “Rust”, Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger – fatally hitting camerawoman Halyna Hutchins, 42. Director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder by the same bullet. Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for security and storage of firearms on set that day in October 2021. She loaded the revolver, which was then presented to Baldwin, the film’s lead actor and co-producer.
At the trial against Gutierrez-Reed in the US state of New Mexico, prosecutors portrayed the 27-year-old weapons master as “unprofessional and sloppy”. She rushed to take security measures, sometimes not taking them at all, and repeatedly left firearms and ammunition lying around. The jury agreed with the prosecution and found her guilty. However, it is still unclear how the live ammunition ended up on the film set at Bonanza Creek Ranch.
A manslaughter trial against Baldwin is scheduled to begin in July. The indictment accuses him of not adequately monitoring the situation on the set. He was rushed, aggressive and reckless.
Both Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin deny any blame. If the actor is convicted, he could face a similar sentence to that of the armorer.