Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on Alec Baldwin’s movie fatally ill-fated movie Rust, has been sentenced to prison. In March, Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins, Rust‘s cinematographer.
The AP reports that Gutierrez-Reed — who has been at a county jail outside Santa Fe, New Mexico since her conviction — will now go on to serve 18 months in prison.”You were the armorer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone,” the judge told Gutierrez-Reed. “You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner and a little boy would have his mother.”
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In October 2021, Hutchins was killed on the set of Rust after a prop gun, held by Baldwin, was discharged. The gun was initially not believed to be loaded with live rounds. Director Joel Souza was non-fatally injured during the incident. In January 2023, it was announced that both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin’s charges were dropped at one point, but later they were re-filed.
Last month, Gutierrez-Reed, 24, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. While she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the jury did not find Gutierrez-Reed guilty on charges of obstructing justice. The charges carried a possible prison sentence of up to three years.
In a statement issued to PEOPLE by attorneys Gloria Allred and John Carpenter, the Hutchins family commented on Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction. “Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable.”
“Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process,” the statement continued. “We are satisfied that the jury, based on the evidence, found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna’s life.”
“We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions,” the attorneys added.
