Rust gun maker Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has appeared in court as a jury was selected for her trial in the 2021 death of a cameraman shot by Alec Baldwin.
Halyna Hutchins died in 2021 after Gutierrez-Reed accidentally loaded a live round into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin was rehearsing with on a film set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The revolver Baldwin was holding fired the bullet that killed Hutchins. He said he killed Hutchins accidentally and denied pulling the trigger.
Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin are both charged with involuntary manslaughter. In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Gutierrez-Reed is also being tried on charges of tampering with evidence.
She has pleaded not guilty and claims she is not directly responsible for Hutchins’ death. If Gutierrez-Reed is found guilty, he could be sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Rust gun maker Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was seen appearing in court as a jury was selected for her trial in the 2021 death of a cameraman shot by Alec Baldwin
Gutierrez-Reed, right, arrives at the First Judicial District Courthouse in Santa Fe, NM, on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, for the start of her trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence
The revolver Baldwin was holding fired the bullet that killed Hutchins. He said he killed Hutchins accidentally and denied pulling the trigger
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the Western film “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured) during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her.
Twelve jurors and four alternates have been sworn in for the trial that begins on February 22.
Of the twelve selected jury members, seven are men and five are women. The four alternate jurors are male, court spokesman Barry Massey said.
Jurors were chosen from a group of 70 Santa Fe area residents, including non-English speakers, a welder, a teacher, a graduate student and a mother caring for six children.
Prosecutors had asked potential jurors about their exposure to intense media coverage and social media talk about the case.
More than 40 people have been listed as witnesses for the trial, which will last until March 6.
Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the storage, maintenance and handling of firearms and ammunition on set and for training cast members who would handle firearms, according to state workplace safety regulators.
Baldwin is seen in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office
The gun Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins, provided by the gunmaker, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (photo)
On February 1, Baldwin was spotted walking somberly through the streets of New York City — a day after he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Court documents filed Jan. 31 show Baldwin entered a not guilty plea in Santa Fe District Court, forgoing an arraignment that was to be held remotely via videoconference.
A grand jury in Santa Fe indicted Baldwin in January after prosecutors received a new analysis of that gun, renewing a charge that prosecutors originally filed and then dismissed in April 2023.
Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
His lawyers called the accuser “misguided” and urged speedy legal proceedings to “minimize public vilification and suspicion against the actor.”
Baldwin remains free pending trial on conditions that include not owning firearms, drinking alcohol or leaving the country.
The sour-faced actor, 65, wore gray trousers with a fleece-lined jacket and glasses as he strolled alone through Manhattan
The gun Baldwin was holding was used to kill cameraman Halyna Hutchins in the Rust film set in 2021. His lawyers have now urged a speedy trial to “minimize public suspicion and vilification.”
The fatal shooting of Hutchins has resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family, focusing on allegations that Baldwin and the producers of “Rust” were lax with safety standards. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed these allegations.
‘Rest’ deputy director and safety coordinator David Halls did not plead unsafe handling of a firearm last March and was given a six-month suspended sentence. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation into the fatal shooting.
Rust Movie Productions has already paid a $100,000 fine to the state following a damning story about safety failures that violated standard industry protocols.
The report included testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two on-set failures before Hutchins was shot.
Industry-wide guidelines that applied to “Rust” say that “all firearms should be treated as if they were loaded.”
Baldwin’s trial date has not yet been set.