Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been jailed for 18 months for involuntary manslaughter following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film set in 2021.
Ms Guitierrez-Reed was found guilty last month, having mistakenly loaded a live round into a revolver, which was used by actor Alec Baldwin on set.
As a result, this gun was accidentally fired, causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza in October 2021.
Jason Bowles, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer had called for his client to be given probation. However, prosecutors called for a full sentence of 18 months to be handed down, due to lack of contrition.
“I beg you”
Taking to the stand before her sentencing, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed asked the judge for probation.
“I beg you, please don’t give me more time”, she said.
“I am saddened by the way the media sensationalised our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster, which has actually been the total opposite of what has been in my heart,” she said.
“When I took on Rust, I was young and I was naive, but I took my job as seriously as I knew how to, despite not having proper time, resources and staffing. When things got tough, I just did my best to handle it.
“…The jury has found me in part at fault for this god awful tragedy, but that doesn’t make me a monster, that makes me human”.
“serious violent offence”
Passing down sentence to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, New Mexico District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said this.
“I find that what you did constitutes a serious violent offence, it was committed in a physically violent manner. A fatal gunshot done with your recklessness in the face of knowledge that your acts were reasonably likely to result in serious harm”, she said.
Judge Sommer added, “You were the armourer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone. 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”.
Actor Alec Baldwin is awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter on July 10. He was indicted on this charge back in January.
