‘Rust’ armorer released from prison 13 months after conviction

The film armorer convicted for the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 has just been released from prison.

“Rust” film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was released on parole from a New Mexico prison Friday morning after serving 13 months behind bars for involuntary manslaughter.

“[The] parole runs through May 23, 2026. Her certificate said she is required to follow the conditions set forth by the board, some of which include electric monitoring, following a curfew, and either getting a job or enrolling in school,” according to CBS News.

BREAKING: “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is sentenced to 18 months in prison in the 2021 fatal on-set shooting.

“The word ‘remorse,’ a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for passed wrongs. That is not you,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said. pic.twitter.com/Q0Qe8dzOw5

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 15, 2024

Gutierrez-Reed reportedly begged for less time during her trial.

“Your honor, when I took on ‘Rust,’ I was young and naive,” she said. “But I took my job as seriously as I knew how to. I beg you, please, don’t give me more time. The jury has found me in part at fault for this horrible tragedy, but that doesn’t make me a monster. That makes me human.”

Recall that during the filming of the film “Rust” in 2021, actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun that struck and killed Hutchins.

After the shooting, Baldwin blamed Gutierrez-Reed for the error. In fact, he sued her a year after the shooting.

“The actor Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit on Friday against several people associated with the film ‘Rust’ — including its armorer and first assistant director — accusing them of negligence for giving him a loaded gun on the set that fired, killing its cinematographer,” The New York Times reported at the time.

“His suit names Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, who was in charge of handling guns and ammunition on set; Dave Halls, the first assistant director, who handed the gun to Mr. Baldwin that day and declared it safe; Sarah Zachry, the crew member in charge of props; and Seth Kenney, who has been described as the primary supplier of guns and ammunition to the film set,” the Times added.

“This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun,” the lawsuit read.

Prosecutors felt otherwise and tried twice to convict Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter charges.

FBI concludes Alec Baldwin pulled trigger in Rust shooting, criminal charges still a possibility https://t.co/3HhlOeF8NW pic.twitter.com/cGbaSQ68dC

— BPR (@BIZPACReview) August 14, 2022

The first set of charges were dropped in April of 2023.

“The decision to drop the charges against Mr. Baldwin came after the new prosecutors reviewed new evidence that showed that the gun he was practicing with had been modified before it was delivered to the set,” the Times reported at the time.

“That undercut the prosecution’s original argument that the gun could not have fired unless Mr. Baldwin had pulled the trigger,” according to the Times.

Months later, in the summer of 2023, two special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, sent the gun for forensic testing, as confirmed by Variety magazine. The testing determined that the gun could have only been fired had someone pulled the trigger.

“This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger,” a final forensic testing report read.

“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” the report continued.

A couple of months later, in October, Morrissey and Lewis reportedly announced that they intended to present their case to a grand jury, prompting anger from Baldwin’s crew.

“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution,” the actor’s attorney Luke Nikas said at the time. “We will answer any charges in court.”

However, the second set of charges was eventually dismissed with prejudice by a judge who accused prosecutors of having hidden evidence linked to the shooting.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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