'Rust' armorer's lawyer claims Alec Baldwin 'more guilty' after her conviction in Halyna Hutchins death

NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES: On Wednesday, March 6, after deliberating for about two and a half hours, a jury in New Mexico delivered a verdict of involuntary manslaughter against "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. However, she was acquitted of the charge of tampering with evidence.

Following the verdict, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, aged 26, faces the possibility of a maximum sentence of 18 months in state prison when she is sentenced later. She was immediately taken into custody and will remain there until her sentencing, as per the judge's order.

The verdicts were read by the jury foreperson, and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed appeared to show little emotion, as per NBC News.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed facing criminal trial over shooting scene in 'Rust'

Before being taken into custody by a deputy, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed removed a necklace. As the judge ordered her daughter to be remanded into custody pending sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed's mother, who was seated behind her, bowed forward and placed her hands on her head.

During the nearly two-week criminal trial, the focus was on the 2021 shooting incident on the set of the movie 'Rust.' Actor Alec Baldwin was holding a prop gun when it discharged a live round of ammunition, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Director Joel Souza was also injured by the bullet. Special prosecutor Kari T Morrissey told the jury during the prosecution's closing arguments on Wednesday that Gutierrez-Reed "was negligent, she was careless and she was thoughtless."

Morrissey added that Gutierrez-Reed was less concerned about the victims and more "worried about her career" following the tragic shooting.

However, Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer, contended that Baldwin bore ultimate responsibility for Hutchins' death and argued that the prosecution had failed to sufficiently prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gutierrez-Reed was the individual who introduced live rounds onto the set.

“I submit to you what caused her to pass was Mr Baldwin going off-script and pointing the weapon,” Bowles said.

Bowles informed jurors that there was no prior knowledge of a live round being present on the set and emphasized that Baldwin himself was unaware of the live round in the gun. He underscored that the pivotal action was the pointing of the weapon.

"Ms Gutierrez wasn’t in the church, she didn’t point that weapon, she didn’t pull it," he said. The prosecution also labeled Baldwin as a "prima donna."

"Alec Baldwin’s conduct and his lack of gun safety in the church that day is something he’s going to have to answer for. ... Not with you not today. That’s for another jury for another day," Bowles asserted.

Baldwin's legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His criminal trial is scheduled to begin in July. Regarding the Gutierrez-Reed case, juror Albert Sanchez stated that the failure to thoroughly check the weapons played a significant role in his verdict.

Sanchez emphasized, "Just handing them over, like ‘here.’ Not checking — that was a big deal. I mean, you can’t do that. And if you have live rounds there and you don’t even know it?"

Halyna Hutchins's death was dubbed 'tragic'

According to Sanchez, there was not much disagreement among the jury members. Regarding the cocaine-related charge of tampering with evidence, Sanchez stated that "there was nothing there" and reiterated, "there was nothing there."

First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies referred to Hutchins' death as a "tragic and entirely preventable case." She appointed special prosecutors in the closely followed case following the verdict.

In her statement, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies emphasized that the prosecutors' primary objectives were to bring justice to Halyna Hutchins' family and friends and to ensure accountability for those responsible for her death.

Several witnesses from the set, including Souza, testified during the trial. Souza recounted the events following the shooting and the ensuing confusion.

Last week, Souza stated that "nothing made sense." After the incident, he remembered looking up at Gutierrez-Reed and hearing her apologize multiple times, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Joel."

Souza described the sensation of being shot as feeling like someone had "taken a baseball bat to my shoulder." However, he expressed disbelief when hospital staff informed him that he had been injured by a live round of ammunition, stating, "It could not compute for me."

The film's safety coordinator, Dave Halls, who entered a plea agreement last year and pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon, also addressed the audience during the film's screening.

Jason Lewis described Gutierrez-Reed's actions as 'sloppy'

It was the first time Hall had publicly discussed what had transpired that day. In his tearful testimony, he admitted to having "done an improper check of that firearm" and acknowledged that he should have conducted a more thorough inspection of the gun.

Halls continued by stating that he could not recall observing Gutierrez-Reed rotating the entire cylinder to ensure every bullet was a fake. "I let a safety check pass," he said, wiping away tears.

Another special prosecutor, Jason Lewis, characterized Gutierrez-Reed's actions on the set as "sloppy" and "unprofessional" during his opening remarks.

“We believe that it was the negligent acts and failures of the defendant ... that contributed to Ms Hutchins’ death,” he said. Following the resignation of the previous special prosecutor, Morrissey and Lewis were appointed as special prosecutors in March 2023.

On Wednesday, Bowles requested the court to grant Gutierrez-Reed a stay of absence until her sentence was determined, citing her voluntary attendance at all hearings and court appearances.

Bowles announced Gutierrez-Reed's intention to appeal. According to a statement from Hutchins' attorneys, the parents and sister of Hutchins "have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna's death to be held accountable."

Gloria Allred and John Carpenter, representing parents Olga Solovey and Anatolli Androsovych, as well as sister Svetlana Zemko, stated, "We look forward to the justice system continuing to ensure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is held accountable and faces the legal consequences for their actions."