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Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed released from prison after serving sentence for involuntary manslaughter''
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust, is no longer behind bars. New Mexico authorities confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Gutierrez-Reed was released from prison Friday, after having been sentenced to 18 months in April 2024. As part of her parole, Gutierrez-Reed is required to report immediately to an officer in Bullhead City, Ariz., according to a parole certificate reviewed by EW. Her early release comes with stipulations including no contact with the victim's family and abiding by a curfew. Gutierrez-Reed was serving as the weapons supervisor on Rust on Oct. 21, 2021, when a prop gun being wielded by actor and producer Alec Baldwin discharged a live round, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin had been told the gun was "cold," meaning it did not contain live ammunition, and he has maintained that he did not pull the trigger. The actor was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter before the charges were dropped, then was charged again in January 2024. The case against him was ultimately dismissed last July after the prosecutors committed a Brady violation. Prosecutors in Gutierrez-Reed's case argued that she was neglectful in her duties supervising the safety of the prop weapons on Rust, contending that she unknowingly brought live ammunition to the production and allowed it to remain on set for at least 12 days, according to the Associated Press. Gutierrez-Reed also faced a charge of tampering with evidence but was acquitted. Rust eventually resumed production in 2023 and completed filming 19 months after Hutchins' death. The film opened in limited release earlier this month, grossing $25,000 from 115 theaters. When Rust opened, Hutchins' mother, Olga Solovey, and sister, Svetlana Zemko, encouraged people to see the film despite its tragic background."I watched my daughter's stunning film twice," Solovey told PEOPLE. "I was so happy for the success of my daughter because it was filmed so beautifully. I would want everybody to watch it because it was the dream of my daughter and she would want people to see it." Zemko used a term of endearment when she added, "Everyone should see Gala's work; this is high professionalism and high-level artistry. The film is strong. I would want Gala to be remembered not for the tragedy but for her talent and hard work." Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Sky News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: Weapons supervisor convicted in fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set freed from jail
A weapons supervisor who was jailed for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie, Rust, has been freed. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was released on parole from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants on Friday, after serving her 18-month sentence, NBC News, Sky's US partner said, quoting New Mexico Corrections Department spokesperson, Brittany Roembach. Gutierrez-Reed was released to return home to Bullhead City, Arizona, where she will be on parole for a year for the manslaughter case. She was in charge of weapons during the production of the Western film in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021, when a prop gun held by star and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal. Cinematographer Hutchins died following the incident, while director Joel Souza was injured. Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence in the investigation, but will be on probation over a separate conviction for unlawfully carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar where firearms are banned weeks before Rust began filming. Involuntary manslaughter means causing someone's death due to negligence, without intending to. At her 10-day trial in New Mexico in March last year, prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of Rust and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. The 18-month sentence she was given was the maximum available for the offence. Baldwin, 67, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dramatically dismissed by the judge during his trial last July over mistakes made by police and prosecutors, including allegations of withholding ammunition evidence from the defence. The actor had always denied the charge, maintaining he did not pull the gun's trigger and that others on the set were responsible for safety checks on the weapon. Rust was finished in Montana and released earlier this month, minus the scene they were working on when Hutchins was shot, Souza, speaking at November's premiere in Poland, said. Rust is billed as the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents' deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Freed From Prison Following Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is now free from prison following her involuntary manslaughter conviction related to the 2021 death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The film's star, Alec Baldwin, was holding the loaded firearm when it went off, fatally wounding Hutchins and hospitalizing director Joel Souza. However, his trial was dismissed with prejudice on the third day of witness testimony, meaning he will no longer face jail time for his role in her death. On Friday, May 23, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Corrections Department told NBC News that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had been released that morning. The film armorer was released in Arizona near the border of Nevada and California. The spokesperson, Brittany Roembach, informed the public that she will be under the supervision of both probation and parole authorities for the following year. She is also facing 18 months of probation for a separate case, in which she was accused of unlawfully carrying a firearm into a licensed liquor establishment. According to the state's sentencing commission, women in New Mexico state prisons often serve less than 60% of their sentences on average. However, Gutierrez-Reed, who was sentenced to the state maximum penalty of 18 months after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, was required to serve at least 85% of her sentence at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, New Mexico. The length of Gutierrez-Reed's sentence was due to the fact that she was convicted of a 'serious violent offense.' Although involuntary manslaughter is not considered a serious violent offense in all circumstances, it was decided that it was warranted here. During the trial, the armorer was accused of using other drugs at or around the time that the crew was filming. While she was behind bars, the corrections spokesperson revealed that she had received 60 days credit for completing two phases of a residential addiction program. She also received four days' credit each month for good behavior and 40 days of pre-sentence credit. Although she pleaded not guilty and tried to get her case dismissed, lead prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey argued that she 'was negligent, she was careless, [and] she was thoughtless' on set, which ultimately led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. In March 2024, family attorneys Gloria Allred and John Carpenter released a brief statement on behalf of Halyna Hutchins' mother, father, and sister following Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's guilty verdict. "Halyna's parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna's death to be held accountable," the statement began. "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." They went on to say, "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." In Wednesday's closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey said, "The astonishing lack of diligence with regard to gun safety is without question a significant cause of the death of Halyna Hutchins," per ABC News. "This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake, and that one mistake was accidental - putting a live round into that gun," she continued. "This case is about constant, never-ending, safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another." The film 'Rust' had a limited theatrical release after it opened on May 2, 2025, and was acquired by Falling Forward Films. According to Box Office Mojo, the film only brought in $25,000 at the domestic box office and less than $2,000 at the global box office. In a strange twist, the film's plot also involves an accidental shooting: an orphaned boy must go on the run with his estranged grandfather after he is sentenced to death for the accidental shooting of a local rancher.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed released from prison early
NEW YORK — 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been released from prison after spending more than a year behind bars for the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Prison records show Gutierrez-Reed was freed from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility on Friday morning, having served about 13 months of her 18-month sentence. Sources told TMZ her early release was due to good behavior, specifically her completion of a drug program while behind bars. Hutchins was attending a rehearsal at New Mexico's Bonanza Creek Ranch on Oct. 21, 2021, when she was fatally shot by a prop gun handled by leading man Alec Baldwin. He'd been seated in a church pew, practicing a move in which he whips a pistol from its holster, when it suddenly went off. The 42-year-old cinematographer was pronounced dead a short time later, while director Joel Souza was also injured and transported to Christus St. Vincent's Regional Medical Center by ambulance. He was later released from the hospital. In March 2024, Gutierrez-Reed, who'd been tasked with overseeing weapons on the set of the Western flick, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins' death. An investigation into the matter determined she was likely hungover when she loaded the prop gun with live ammunition. Prosecutors alleged she'd been drinking heavily and doing drugs in the evenings after production wrapped. She was acquitted of a second charge of evidence tampering, which stemmed from allegations that she transferred a bag of cocaine to another person after the shooting. Gutierrez-Reed will remain supervised under terms of probation after pleading guilty to a separate charge of carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar, where firearms are prohibited, in the weeks before filming began. Baldwin also faced an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with Hutchins' death, but a judge dismissed the case in the middle of trial last summer due to prosecutorial misconduct and evidence suppression.
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Alec Baldwin's ‘Rust' armorer released from prison after fatal on-set shooting
Print Close By Stephanie Giang-Paunon Published May 24, 2025 Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer convicted in the tragic on-set shooting death of a cinematographer during the filming of Alec Baldwin's film "Rust," has been released from a New Mexico prison. Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March 2024 for her role in the incident, where a live round discharged from a prop gun that Baldwin was handling in 2021. The shooting also injured director Joel Souza. The "Rust" armorer has an appeal of the conviction pending in a higher court. Jurors acquitted her of allegations she tampered with evidence in the "Rust" investigation. CONVICTED 'RUST' ARMORER ASKS FOR NEW TRIAL AFTER ALEC BALDWIN'S INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CASE DISMISSED She was released from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility after serving her full 18-month sentence. Gutierrez-Reed signed out of prison in Grants to return home to Bullhead City, Arizona, on parole related to her involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The terms of parole include mental health assessments and a prohibition on firearms ownership and possession. Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed had unwittingly brought live ammunition onto the set of "Rust" and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols. ALEC BALDWIN SUES NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION, DEFAMATION FOLLOWING 'RUST' TRIAL She is also being supervised under terms of probation after pleading guilty to a separate charge of unlawfully carrying a gun into a licensed liquor establishment. Gutierrez-Reed carried a gun into a downtown Santa Fe bar, where firearms are prohibited, weeks before "Rust" began filming. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Meanwhile, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a gun he was holding fired on the set of "Rust" in New Mexico, killing cinematographer Hutchins. Hutchins died Oct. 21, 2021. In July 2024, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charge cannot be brought against the actor again. His case was dismissed mid-trial after the judge found that the prosecution had withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Associated Press contributed to this report. Print Close URL
