The gunsmith for the Alec Baldwin film Rust has been found guilty of shooting the film's cameraman.
A jury concluded that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, on the set of the Western, was negligent in allowing a live bullet to enter the gun that Baldwin accidentally used to shoot Halyna Hutchins, the film's cinematographer.
After deliberating for two hours at the courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted her of tampering with evidence.
Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the daughter of respected film industry gunsmith Thell Reed, faces up to 18 months in prison. She showed little emotion as the verdicts were read, but one family member broke down as they sat behind the now-convicted felon.
Judge Mary Sommer remanded Gutierrez-Reed in custody, reasoning that “you are now convicted.” […] It’s criminal negligence, but it’s still a fatality.”
The verdict is likely to spell trouble for Baldwin, 65, when he goes on trial on involuntary manslaughter charges at the same courthouse in July. If he is found guilty, he also faces 18 months in prison.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of Rust camerawoman Halyna Hutchins
Hutchins, 42, a mother of one, was shot and killed on the set of Alec Baldwin's Rust in October 2021. Baldwin is scheduled to go on trial in July
Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of tampering with evidence after prosecutors alleged she gave another person a bag of cocaine after a police interview to prevent law enforcement from getting it
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped in April last year.
Last month he was charged again in dramatic fashion and pleaded not guilty.
The shooting took place in October 2021 after two weeks of filming while Baldwin was practicing unholstering his gun.
He opened fire on Hutchins, 42, a married mother of one whose son was 9 at the time, and the bullet passed through her and lodged in the shoulder of director Joel Souza, who survived and testified in court.
Although at times Baldwin was not the defendant in this case, one got the impression that he was what a witness said out loud.
Using more than two dozen witnesses, prosecutors painted a damning picture of a film that was in a state of “precipitous chaos.”
The night before the incident, six camera crew members resigned for safety reasons.
Gutierrez-Reed's defense placed the blame on everyone but her, but especially on Baldwin.
Her lawyer, Jason Bowles, said Baldwin was the “big boss” on the set who no one stood up to, even though he rushed people and ignored security checks because Rust, on which he was a producer, had a tight budget.
The jury heard that Baldwin commissioned director Souza to write the script, to which he owned the rights. Baldwin starred in the film and was also a producer.
Bowles called Gutierrez-Reed, who was just 24 at the time of the incident, a “scapegoat” for broader failings, which led to the New Mexico Safety Board fining the producers $136,000 for “willful and serious misconduct.” “Security deficiencies imposed.
Baldwin, 65, who starred and produced the film, faces a separate trial in July on involuntary manslaughter charges, which he denies
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped in April last year. Last month he was charged again in dramatic fashion and pleaded not guilty
The jury was shown shocking images of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins' blood-stained shirt
The case against the armorer
Prosecutors described Gutierrez-Reed as “sloppy” with weapons and ammunition.
In his opening statement, Jason Lewis said she “usually left guns and ammo lying around the set unattended” and her gun safe and ammo cart were “constantly in disarray,” he said.
Lewis said: “The prospect of live ammunition ending up on a film set is unimaginable, it should never happen.”
The jury was shown photos taken by crime scene investigator Marissa Poppell that showed the chaotic way ammunition and weapons were stored on Rust's set.
Instead of constantly locking the weapons away, as was common practice, the images showed a weapon that could have fired live cartridges lying on top of the cart.
Loose cartridges of various calibers were scattered everywhere, and Gutierrez-Reed kept them in a fanny pack and a bag with a can of Red Bull next to it.
Poppell told the court that she eventually found six live cartridges on set: two of which were on top of the prop cart and two more were in gun belts used by the actors.
Another live cartridge was found in the cartridge box that Gutierrez-Reed said she received the ammunition to put in Baldwin's gun.
This bullet was noticeably different from the other bullets and had a bright silver primer on the back, something the others did not have.
Ross Addiego, who worked as a dolly grabber at Rust, said Gutierrez-Reed was “less professional” than other gunsmiths he had worked with.
While others were “anally reticent,” he said, Gutierrez-Reed was more relaxed and kept her ammunition in a fanny pack, something he had never seen before.
In her interview with police, Gutierrez-Reed said she had no idea how live cartridges occurred on set and even expressed the idea that someone may have done it intentionally as an act of sabotage.
Gutierrez-Reed said it was “stunning” how live ammunition was mixed with empty cartridges and said a “wobbly” cartridge may have been to blame
But in one damn moment, Cpl Alexandria Hancock of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office asked Gutierrez-Reed if you didn't notice the silver primer on the live bullet when you loaded the gun?
“No,” she replied.
Cpl Hancock asked if Gutierrez-Reed hadn't noticed that “the rest weren't the same colour”?
“No,” she answered again.
The jury was shown video of Gutierrez-Reed's interview by the Santa Fe, New Mexico, sheriff, hours after the incident in October 2021
Production on Rust was abruptly halted in October 2021 when a prop gun held by Baldwin fired a live round, killing Hutchins
The new set is pictured in Livingston, Montana. Although there is also a church building on the new set, scene 121 – the scene where Baldwin was practicing – was completely removed from the film and will not be reshot
The jury was shown behind-the-scenes videos of the shooting that showed what a firearms expert described as gross safety violations.
Bryan Carpenter, a former SWAT police officer who now works as a gunsmith and firearms instructor for films and television, reprimanded Gutierrez-Reed for holding a shotgun with the muzzle up and pointing directly at her own face.
When asked how to ensure proper gun safety on set if the gunsmith handled the guns this way, Carpenter replied, “That's a very good question. It would be difficult to implement.”
In another scene, a male actor pointed a gun at a 12-year-old boy who was part of the cast, a particularly frightening moment because live cartridges were discovered on set.
During Carpenter's cross-examination, Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, did what he had done throughout the trial – and tried to shift blame to Baldwin.
THE CASE AGAINST ALEC BALDWIN
Bowles told the court that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun like a “pointer” at people.
In a behind-the-scenes video from the filming, Baldwin could be seen demanding a second take immediately after a take had just finished.
He was heard saying, “Now!” Now! Let's reload. Let's go, come on! We should have two weapons, both reloading.'
Asked if such behavior was typical, Carpenter said no, adding that it puts pressure on the armorer to stand up to him.
Moments later, after the director called “cut,” Baldwin fired another empty cartridge next to the 12-year-old actor.
Carpenter said that if someone yells “cut,” nothing further should be fired and that Baldwin “went off script.”
Baldwin could have used a Nerf gun in the scene where he accidentally shot Hutchins because it was just a rehearsal, known as blocking, the jury heard.
But Baldwin insisted on using the real weapons, known as his “hero props,” because he preferred them, just as he preferred the most powerful puppets because they were more realistic.
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped in April last year. Last month he was charged again in dramatic fashion and pleaded not guilty
Jurors were shown a video shot during production of Rust in which Baldwin pointed the gun at crew and cast members, including a 12-year-old boy, between scenes
Jurors were told that Baldwin himself made the set unsafe by waving his gun like a “pointer” at people and firing shots after the director said cut
In his opening statement, Bowles said Baldwin “violated basic gun safety” by pointing the gun at Hutchins because he had no intention of shooting her.
He said: “This was primarily about haste. Get this thing so we can get the money, and that just depends on the production, and Mr. Baldwin is one of the main producers.” That's up to them. Miss Gutierrez-Reed had no control over it.'
During Addiego's cross-examination, Bowles asked, “Have you ever stood up to Mr. Baldwin and said, 'We're not going to move so quickly?'
Addiego said it was “not my job” and that he didn't remember “seeing anyone fight Mr. Baldwin on the set of Rust.”
“He's running the show, he's the big boss, right?” Bowles said.
“He’s number one, so yeah,” Addiego said.
Perhaps the most damning evidence against Baldwin supported his claim that he never pulled the trigger on the gun.
Bryce Ziegler, an agent with the FBI Firearms Division who examined the gun Baldwin used, said he had to break the gun with a hammer to get it to fire without pulling the trigger.
Ziegler said that couldn't happen on the set of “Rust” because the gun was functional on him.
Speaking to ABC News in December 2021, Baldwin said: “I didn't pull the trigger. “I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger. Never'.
In her police interview, Gutierrez-Reed also pointed the finger at Baldwin, claiming he was distracted during the safety briefing she tried to give him.
She said the actor was “on the phone the whole time” and wasn't paying attention when she showed him how to use the gun.
FBI firearms expert Bryce Ziegler presented evidence that questioned Alec Baldwin's version of events
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and also charged with tampering with evidence
EMOTIONAL MOMENTS
There were numerous emotional moments during the trial, including the first-ever exhibit shown by prosecutors.
The judge found the body camera footage of Nicholas Lefleur, the first police officer on the scene, to be too graphic to be shown on the livestream.
It showed Hutchins' body lying on the ground covered in blood in the moments after the shooting, and Baldwin in the background looking pensive.
Gutierrez-Reed looked away and appeared to cry as the court was shown photos of Hutchins' body taken by the medical examiner before it was cleaned for an autopsy.
Body camera footage for Cpl. Hancock, who was watching the aftermath of the incident, pointed to Gutierrez-Reed saying, “Welcome to the worst day of my life.”
Gutierrez-Reed also said, “I just want to get out of here and never show myself in this industry again.”
Dave Halls, the first assistant director on “Rust,” broke down in tears as he told the jury that he was the last person, along with Gutierrez-Reed, to inspect the gun before giving it to Baldwin
A firearms expert showed the jury a gun similar to the one Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins
There was compelling testimony from Dave Halls, the film's first assistant director and the last person to pick up the gun before giving it to Baldwin.
Before trial, Halls pleaded no contest to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and received a six-month suspended sentence.
When asked why he did that, Halls said, “I was careless in checking the gun.”
Halls became emotional as he described what happened next in the chapel on the set of Rust.
He said: “Mr Baldwin pulled it (the gun) out and got used to that action.”
“He spoke to Miss Hutchins about where to point the gun.”
“The gun went off.”
“There were so many thoughts (in my head). “The idea that it was live ammunition that was fired was not a calculation,”
Hutchins was 3 feet away from Halls to his left and said to her, “Are you OK?”
Through tears, Halls said Hutchins responded, “I can't feel my legs.”
Addiego also broke down in tears when pressed by Bowles about why he was part of a civil lawsuit against Baldwin and the Rust producers for negligence.
He said, “I hope for justice, sir.”
“Two people were injured on a film set. “That not only influenced me, it also influenced the film industry.”
The criminal case is not the only lawsuit resulting from Hutchins' shooting.
In 2022, Baldwin settled a civil lawsuit filed against him by Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins' widow and father of their son.
Under the conditions, Rust continued production at a new location in Montana and Matthew Hutchins, who called his wife's death a “horrible accident,” is executive producer.
No date has been set for the film's release yet.
