More than two years after the death of a camerawoman by a gunshot on the film set of the western “Rust” with Alec Baldwin, a jury has found gun master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of negligent homicide. The twelve jurors acquitted the 26-year-old of the charge of manipulating evidence on Wednesday after around three hours of deliberations at a court in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico. The verdict was broadcast live on the Internet. The sentence will be announced at a later date. Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months in prison.
Gutierrez-Reed appeared largely expressionless during the sentencing and was then taken directly into custody, where the court said she will remain until sentencing. Her legal team announced that they wanted to appeal.
This is the first jury criminal trial in connection with the incident on the “Rust” film set, in which 42-year-old camerawoman Halyna Hutchins was fatally injured at Bonanza Creek Ranch in October 2021. Director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder by the same bullet when the shot fired from a prop gun being operated by lead actor Alec Baldwin. Both director Souza and assistant director David Halls, who pleaded guilty to negligent handling of a weapon last year and received a suspended sentence, testified in the trial.
Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of weapons and security during the shooting. She loaded the revolver, which was then handed to Baldwin. A trial against the 65-year-old Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter charges is scheduled for July. Both had repeatedly denied blame for the incident. Even after the trial and after a long investigation, many questions remain unanswered – such as how the live ammunition got onto the set and into the Colt.
Shortly after the incident, accusations and speculation were raised. Film crew members complained about negligence and a lack of safety on the set; the inexperienced weapons master was overwhelmed and consumed alcohol and drugs at work. Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers dismissed this as “defamation.” The public prosecutor’s office is looking for a “scapegoat.”