Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's dad calls for her conviction to be overturned after Alec Baldwin trial dismissed
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: The father of 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is applauding the dismissal of Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case, stating that this ruling should now pave the way for the dismissal of his daughter's charges.
Gutierrez-Reed’s father Thell Reed, recently opened up to Daily Mail after a New Mexico judge ruled out the ‘30 Rock’ star’s charges during the trial on Friday, July 12.
On the fourth day of the trial, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the charges against Baldwin, stating that prosecutors had withheld evidence from the defense.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s father reacts to Friday’s ruling
The 81-year-old legendary Hollywood armorer opened up to the news outlet saying, “Well, I think that’s good,” adding that on the same grounds, Gutierrez-Reed’s charges should also be dropped, per New York Post.
He continued, "I think Hannah’s case should also be dismissed." His daughter, the 27-year-old 'Rust' armorer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for bringing live rounds to the set of the Western film, which ultimately led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
While Gutierrez-Reed prepares to file an appeal for her conviction, Reed suggests that "a lot of evidence" remained unheard during the latest trial.
“There’s a lot of evidence that hasn’t been heard at all,” said Reed, before adding, “They suppressed all the important evidence and I guess [Baldwin’s] attorneys brought it out.”
The evidence that Reed is referring to was the ammunition dropped off at the sheriff’s office in March by a man who claimed it could be related to Hutchins’s death.
While Gutierrez-Reed was scheduled to testify in court on Friday, Judge Sommer paused the proceeding and investigated the defense’s argument of evidence being withheld by the prosecution.
During the proceeding on Friday, Baldwin’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case accusing the prosecutors of concealing the evidence of live ammunition from them.
While prosecutors argued that the ammunition didn’t match what was found on set, the defense lawyer discovered that some did bear the same engravings as those used for the film.
However, during Gutierrez-Reed's earlier trial, she was already convicted of involuntary manslaughter related to the ammunition brought onto the set.
Her father further told the outlet, “It should [be grounds for an appeal]. She didn’t do anything wrong. They’ve absolutely made her a scapegoat.”
Gutierrez-Reed, who is currently serving her 18-month sentence at the women-only Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility, was previously found guilty of flouting the basic gun safety protocols.
According to prosecutors, she handed a loaded gun to Baldwin, who then pointed it at Hutchins, resulting in her death and injuring director Joel Souza, 51.
Alec Baldwin was emotional as the judge dismissed the case
After Judge Mary Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the prosecutors would not be able to file a case against Baldwin again, the ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum broke down in tears inside the courtroom, per BBC.
According to the judge's ruling, he will not face trial again for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Hutchins.
This is the second time a case against Baldwin has been dismissed since the unfortunate incident in October 2021.
