First sentence announced for murder during filming of 'Rust'
Weapons supervisor sentenced to 18 months in prison for the accident on the set of US actor Alec Baldwin's movie 'Rust'
In the US state of New Mexico, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's weapons supervisor, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for "manslaughter" in connection with the fatal accident that occurred during the October 2021 filming of "Rust" starring actor Alec Baldwin.
Judge Mary Marlowe Summer stated during the hearing in New Mexico Court that Gutierrez-Reed's actions constituted a violent felony.
Addressing Gutierrez-Reed, Summer said, "You single-handedly turned a safe weapon into a deadly weapon. If not for you, Ms. Halyna Hutchins would be alive. A husband would be reunited with his wife and a little boy with his mother."
As part of the verdict, the weapons supervisor of the movie was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
What happened on set?
Actor Alec Baldwin caused the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with the gun he used during the filming of "Rust" in New Mexico on October 21, 2021, and 48-year-old director Joel Souza was wounded in the shoulder in the same incident.
In his first interview after the incident, Baldwin said that he did not know there were live bullets in the gun and that he was deeply saddened and regretful but did not feel guilty.
After the accident, Baldwin, who was accused of careless behavior on the set and employing unqualified personnel for cheap cost, announced that they had reached a settlement with Hutchins' family over the lawsuit filed against him and the film company in February 2022.
On January 19, 2023, the Santa Fe County District Attorney's Office filed a separate lawsuit against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of weapons on the film set, for "involuntary manslaughter" for the fatal accident.
Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of manslaughter
In a March trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed responsible for the explosion of the gun Baldwin pointed at Hutchins during rehearsal, and accepted the manslaughter charge against him.
His lawyer had stated that they would appeal the jury's verdict against Gutierrez-Reed, who faced 18 months in prison and a fine of $5,000.
It was commented that Gutierrez-Reed being found guilty by the jury could be bad news for Baldwin, who will start trial on July 9 on the same charge.
On the other hand, Gutierrez-Reed was found not guilty in the "evidence tampering" case against him.
The charge of "involuntary manslaughter" covers a death that occurs as a result of the defendant acting negligently or recklessly while doing something legal but dangerous.
Under New Mexico law, manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Source: Newsroom & AA
