SANTA FE, N.M. — A movie weapons regulator faces up to 18 months in prison for Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of a cameraman on the set of the Western film “Rust.” Her sentencing is scheduled for Monday in a New Mexico state court.
Movie gunmaker Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted by a jury in March on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and has been held in a county jail on the outskirts of Santa Fe for more than a month.
Baldwin, the star and co-producer of “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge, saying he pulled back the gun’s hammer, but not the trigger, before the gun went off. His trial is scheduled for July before the same judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, who oversaw Gutierrez-Reed’s trail.
Gutierrez-Reed could also face a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unknowingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and of failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. After a two-week trial, the jury deliberated for about three hours to reach a verdict.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys requested leniency at sentencing — including a possible conditional discharge that would avoid further prison time and leave a guilty plea off her criminal record if certain conditions are met.
Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted at trial of charges that she tampered with evidence in the ‘Rust’ investigation. She has also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of carrying a gun to a bar in Santa Fe, where firearms are prohibited.
Defense attorneys have emphasized Gutierrez-Reed’s relatively young age “and the devastating effect a future crime will have on her life.”
They say the 26-year-old will forever be negatively affected by the intense publicity associated with her prosecution in parallel with an A-list actor, and has suffered from anxiety, fear and depression as a result.
Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey urged the judge to impose the maximum prison sentence and designate Gutierrez-Reed a “serious violent offender” to make her later eligible for a reduced sentence. She described the defendant’s behavior on the set of “Rust” as exceptionally reckless. She said Gutierrez-Reed has shown a lack of remorse, citing comments made by Gutierrez-Reed in phone calls from jail monitored by authorities.
“Rust” assistant principal and safety coordinator Dave Halls pleaded no contest last year to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a six-month unsupervised sentence. “Rust” props master Sarah Zachry, who shared some firearms responsibilities on the set of “Rust,” signed an agreement with prosecutors to avoid prosecution in exchange for her cooperation.
Written testimony in favor of leniency included letters from Gutierrez-Reed’s childhood friend and romantic partner Sean Kridelbaugh, who said Gutierrez-Reed constantly cries out of remorse during the shooting and that further incarceration would hinder efforts to care for a family member with cancer. Other friends and former colleagues urged the judge to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment in sentencing.
The pending firearms charges against Gutierrez-Reed stem from an incident at a downtown Santa Fe bar days before she was hired to work as a gunsmith at “Rust.” Prosecutors say investigation into the fatal shooting led to the discovery of a selfie video in which Gutierrez-Reed filmed herself carrying a firearm into the bar, while attorneys allege vindictive prosecution.