Movie armorer appeals conviction in fatal shooting of cinematographer by Alec Baldwin

By The Associated Press on May 14, 2024.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A movie weapons armorer is appealing her conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust,” according to court documents released Tuesday.

A defense attorney filed the shortly worded appeal notice as Hannah Gutierrez-Reed serves an 18-month sentence at a New Mexico penitentiary for women. Her attorneys have 30 days to submit detailed arguments.

Prosecutors blame Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols. A jury convicted her in state court in March.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and says he pulled back the hammer – but not the trigger – and the gun fired. His trial is scheduled for July.

Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of an evidence tampering charge at trial, and still confronts separate court proceedings on allegations she carried a firearm into a bar in downtown Santa Fe.

A New Mexico judge last month found that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness on the “Rust” set amounted to a serious violent offense, noting few indications of genuine remorse in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Gutierrez-Reed said at a sentencing hearing she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing,” and that she was not the monster that people have made her out to be. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the maximum sentence was appropriate.

9
-8

Comments are closed.