Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter

 A jury on Wednesday found "Rust" armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins.

The armorer was responsible for the gun that fired a live bullet on a Western film set. On October 21, 2021, Hutchins came under fire when actor Alec Baldwin took a gun out of his holster.

Gutierrez Reed was also found not guilty of tampering with evidence, a charge he faced in 2023 when investigators accused him of handing over a bag of cocaine on the day of the fatal set shooting.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours in a New Mexico courthouse. After the verdict was read, Judge Mary Marlo Sommer ordered Gutierrez Reed into custody, where she will remain until sentencing.

"I'm going to take you into custody," Sommer said in the courtroom. "That's because you've now been convicted, and it's a death sentence." Gutierrez Reed was immediately taken into custody by deputies and is awaiting sentencing at a court facility.

He faces up to 18 months in jail, in addition to a $5,000 fine.

The armourer's trial, which began on February 21, saw testimony from weapons experts, FBI and Santa Fe County officials, and crew members who witnessed the fatal shooting.

'Rusty' Armorer becomes distressed when shown autopsy photos of Helena Hutchins during shooting trial

The prosecution focused primarily on Gutierrez Reed's behavior as an armorer, claiming that he did not perform his job properly.

"Hannah Gutierrez knew Baldwin was on the loose. She knew it," special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said during closing arguments. "He didn't do anything about it, even though it was his job. It was his job. It's his job to tell an A-list actor, if in fact, that's what you want him to say, 'Hey,' you can't use those firearms. Cannot be treated like that. This is his job. This is what they pay him for. This is the job he applied for. This is the job he accepted."

Gutierrez Reed's legal team told the jury that the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to convict Arsenal of involuntary manslaughter.

'Rust' crew member breaks down on the stand, recalls 'moment of terror' after fatal shooting of Halina Hutchins

Jason Bowles told the jury, "They can't come in here with a straight face and make fun of us and criticize us and tell you that they found you enough to convict him without a doubt." Something has been given, because they haven't done it."

Bowles claimed that there were factors beyond Gutierrez Reed's control that occurred on set, leading to the fatal shooting.

The lawyer said, "Whoever put the rounds on live on the set and then Mr. Baldwin ended up going off script and doing what he did." "They are external events beyond Ms. Gutierrez Reed's control that she had no idea were going to happen."

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Placeholder Hutchins died in 2021 after being shot by a gun Baldwin held while staging a scene in a small church at Bonanza Creek Ranch. The jury heard testimony from director Joel Souza, who was shot in the shoulder during the tense moment.

Hutchins and Souza were working behind the camera to stage a close-up scene when the actor's gun fired, killing the cinematographer.

"I went inside [the church] again to look, trying to see what the angle was. There were a lot of noises in there," Souza recalled during his testimony.

"I heard Alec's voice. I heard Helena's voice, everyone was talking together. I don't remember clearly how long I stood behind her. I know I woke up behind her... Try looking at the monitor, and there was an incredibly loud bang that was not like the half and quarter sounds you heard on the set. They were kind of a whoosh and a pop. It was deafening."

At the hospital, Souza did not realize he had been shot.

He said, "I knew I had found something, but they kept saying – they kept talking about this pill. And it couldn't compute for me." "I just kept saying, 'You don't understand. No, no, no. This was a movie set. You know, that's not possible. You don't understand.' And they kept saying, 'No, no, it is.' ,