‘Rust’ Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Found Guilty In Less Than Three Hours

Earlier today, a jury reached a verdict in the trial of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed., who has been facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of tampering with evidence in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The trial is separate from the criminal charges currently facing actor Alec Baldwin, who wielded the gun in the fatal shooting that occurred at a church in New Mexico on October 21, 2021. His trial is currently scheduled for July 9, 2024.

Jury Reaches Verdict In Hananh Gutierrez-Reed’s ‘Rusty’ Armor Case

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After less than three hours, a jury found “Rust” shield Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Halyna Hutchins.

He was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Gutierrez-Reed to remain in custody. He faces up to 18 months in prison at his sentencing.

The prosecution has accused Hannah Gutierrez-Reed of being ‘sloppy’ and ‘unprofessional’

MEGAIn its opening statement, the prosecution called Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s behavior on set “sloppy” and “unprofessional,” and said it was her “negligent actions and failures” that caused the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

A dolly grip by the name of Ross Addiego testified about two accidental releases that occurred on the set over the course of an hour, stating that such releases were “unusual” on other movie sets. Addiego went on to say that he was not “as serious or professional as I used to be” and believed that guns should be kept “under lock and key.”

The new armorer, who only worked on two film sets, was accused of leaving the weapon unattended on a prop car. John Ziello, who worked as a holdover on set, voiced Addiego’s safety concerns. “It just seems wrong,” he said, adding, “Anyone can do anything to that weapon.”

Director Joel Souza Can’t ‘Count’ Shots

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Director Joel Souza takes the stand to recall the moments that happened when Halyna Hutchins was shot. Souza had been standing behind Hutchins and recalled what it felt like someone “took a baseball bat to my shoulder,” in testimony transcribed by NBC News.

He said that “nothing made sense” after the shooting but clearly remembers looking at Gutierrez-Reed, who was standing over him, saying, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Joel.” After he reached the hospital, the medical staff informed him that he had been shot by a bullet. However, he stated that he “couldn’t calculate” how a live bullet ended up on his film set.

During cross-examination, Souza recalled first assistant director David Halls saying that the gun was “cold,” meaning it had no live ammunition. Last Thursday, Dave Halls took the stand and began to cry as he recalled Hutchins saying, “I can’t feel my legs” shortly after he was shot.

Last year, Halls, who also served as the film’s security coordinator, pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation. When asked why she agreed to testify — because it wasn’t part of a plea deal — Halls said, “It’s important to me that the truth be known, that Halyna’s husband, son and family know the truth about what happened.”

It’s Not Clear Where Live Bullets Came From On ‘Rust’ Set

MEGASarah Zachry, the film’s prop master, said that she only brought one box of fake rounds to the “Rust” set and has no idea how the live ammunition ended up on the film set. Immediately after the shooting occurred, he admitted that he had removed the bullet directly from the gun and “threw it away in shock and panic,” going on to call it a “reactive decision.”

He told jurors that he told investigators he had disposed of the remaining live ammunition about a month after the shooting. He went on to admit that he talked to his co-workers about wanting to fire Hannah Gutierrez-Reed at one point in filming, because he wasn’t happy with her performance.

The defense team consistently pointed to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s role as both shield and prop assistant throughout the trial, noting that she was too distracted between her two duties to adequately supervise the weapons on set. They also tried to blame the producers of “Rust”, who tried to finish filming as quickly and cheaply as possible.

The film “Rust” was completed in the spring of 2023; however, no release date has been announced.

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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/