The weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust" pleaded guilty Monday to a separate criminal charge of carrying a gun into a licensed liquor establishment.
Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed agreed to change her plea to guilty on the charge in exchange for a reduced sentence of 18 months supervised probation.
Judge T Glenn Ellington approved the agreement that allows Gutierrez-Reed to begin probation while serving out an 18-month prison term at a New Mexico state penitentiary for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In the “Rust” case, prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the movie set and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.
Gutierrez-Reed shuffled into the Santa Fe courtroom Monday in a beige jumpsuit, handcuffs and ankle shackles to change her plea to guilty and waive her right to trial.
“I'd just like to apologise to the court and thank you for your judgment today,” she said.
The case stems from evidence that a few weeks before “Rust” began filming in October 2021, Gutierrez-Reed carried a gun into a downtown bar in Santa Fe where firearms are prohibited.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said Gutierrez-Reed filmed herself in the bathroom of the bar with a handgun — explaining how she snuck in the prohibited firearm in a video that was obtained when authorities searched the armorer's phone during the “Rust” investigation.
Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March at trial of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Hutchins. She has an appeal of that conviction pending in a higher court.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
In July, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed an involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin halfway through a trial based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense. Morrissey has since asked the judge to reconsider.
Under terms of her plea agreement, Gutierrez-Reed is prohibited while on probation from possessing firearms, consuming alcohol or drugs and must pay USD 180 in fees while submitting a sample of her DNA to a criminal database and completing an addiction treatment program.
Defense attorney Jason Bowles said the agreement makes it possible for Gutierrez-Reed to be released from prison as soon as June 2025 to complete probation in Arizona without getting an additional felony conviction on her record.
Before being led away, Gutierrez-Reed blew kisses toward the court gallery where her mother, Stacy Reed, was seated.
Reed said she was grateful her daughter can begin to fulfil new parole requirements prior to release from prison.
“She's not gotten a fair shake from the beginning,” said Reed, who travelled from Arizona for the hearing.
