UPDATE: 3/6 8:46 p.m. ET
Halyna Hutchins’ parents and sister released a statement following the conviction of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
“Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable,” the family’s attorneys Gloria Allred and John Carpenter said in a statement to Us Weekly. “Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process. 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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Original story below:
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on Alec Baldwin’s Rust film, has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter following the on set death of Halyna Hutchins.
A New Mexico jury reached a verdict on Wednesday, March 6, following two weeks of testimony about the tragic incident, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly. With the manslaughter charge, Gutierrez Reed, 26, will face up to 18 months in prison. She was acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence.
Following the trial, juror Alberto Sanchez told reporters that the jury had reached a “fair” verdict. “Someone died,” Sanchez said, per Variety. “You gotta take responsibility. Especially when you’re handling weapons and you’re in charge of those. That’s your job.”
Gutierrez Reed was the first person to face trial for the October 2021 shooting on the set of the Western film. Baldwin, 65, who stars in the movie and serves as a producer, will face his own manslaughter trial in July.
Baldwin was the person who fired the weapon that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. As the armorer, Gutierrez Reed was responsible for ensuring that the weapons were handled safely on set. She also loaded a live bullet into the pistol, which should have contained only prop rounds.
Us confirmed earlier this year that Baldwin was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter for a second time. If convicted, Baldwin can face up to 18 months in prison.
Baldwin was initially charged in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty the following month. The charges were ultimately dropped in April 2023. While Baldwin fired the weapon, he has maintained his innocence from the start.
“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never,” the actor told George Stephanopoulos in a December 2021 interview. “I have no idea [how a bullet got in there]. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
After news broke about the indictment, Us confirmed that Baldwin’s legal team filed paperwork in January 2024 emphasizing their “demand for a speedy trial, discovery and exculpatory information, notice of defense intent to call witnesses.”
The filing stated that Baldwin hoped to “minimize public vilification and suspicion” with a quicker trial so they could “avoid the hazards of proving his innocence that often arise after a lengthy delay in prosecution.”
“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement to Us at the time.
