Latest news with #NewMexicoDepartmentofCorrections
Mint
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
What are the conditions of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's parole after her prison release over the Rust shooting death?
In a development reigniting debate over accountability in Hollywood, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the ill-fated Alec Baldwin-led film Rust, has been released from prison. Her release comes just weeks after the troubled Western finally limped into cinemas, only to vanish from the box office without a trace. But her freedom comes with tightly controlled conditions. Gutierrez-Reed's parole will extend until May 23, 2026, though she will be under what is termed 'dual supervision' due to a separate weapons-related offence. This includes a conviction for unlawfully entering a firearm-restricted bar in Santa Fe with a gun prior to Rust's production. As part of her release conditions, she is prohibited from possessing firearms, must find employment, adhere to a curfew, undergo mental health evaluation, and wear an electronic monitoring device. She is also barred from having any contact with Hutchins' family, including her widower and child. The 26-year-old served just over 15 months of her 18-month sentence for her role in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals in October 2021. The New Mexico Department of Corrections confirmed that Gutierrez-Reed was granted parole on May 23, exiting the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility the following morning. She has since returned to her home in Bullhead City, Arizona. The daughter of veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, Gutierrez-Reed was relatively inexperienced when hired for Rust. Prosecutors alleged that her lack of diligence and oversight led to live ammunition making its way onto the set. On October 21, 2021, one of those rounds discharged from a Colt .45 replica in Alec Baldwin's hand during a rehearsal, fatally striking Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Though Baldwin maintains he did not pull the trigger, legal scrutiny has continued. Gutierrez-Reed was charged in early 2023 with involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. Despite calls from her legal team and others suggesting she was scapegoated amid wider safety failures on set, she became the only individual to serve prison time over the tragedy. As Hollywood grapples with renewed conversations about crew safety and responsibility, Gutierrez-Reed's release marks a complex and controversial chapter in the aftermath of one of the industry's most shocking on-set fatalities.
The Hill
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
‘Rust' armorer convicted in cinematographer's death released from prison
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of 'Rust' who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, has been released from prison. In April 2024, Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months for the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust' in October 2021. A jury determined that Gutierrez-Reed recklessly handled ammunition on set, leading to the accidental death. The New Mexico Department of Corrections confirmed Gutierrez was released on Friday and is serving her probation in Arizona. Gutierrez-Reed also is being supervised under terms of probation after pleading guilty to a separate charge of unlawfully carrying a gun into a licensed liquor establishment. Baldwin, the lead actor and coproducer for 'Rust,' was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Gutierrez-Reed has an appeal of the conviction pending in a higher court. Jurors acquitted her of allegations she tampered with evidence in the 'Rust' investigation. Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of 'Rust' and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. Gutierrez-Reed carried a gun into a downtown Santa Fe bar where firearms are prohibited weeks before 'Rust' began filming. The terms of parole include mental health assessments and a prohibition on firearms ownership and possession. An involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense. The filming of 'Rust' was completed in Montana. The Western was released in theaters this month. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
News.com.au
26-04-2025
- News.com.au
Scary new details emerge of Bieber murder plot that involved plan to ‘castrate' the star
Chilling new details have emerged about a shocking plot to castrate and kill pop star Justin Bieber. Jailed killer Dana Martin, who has a tattoo of the star on his leg, pleaded guilty to criminal solicitation to commit first-degree murder after he recruited two men to kidnap the singer along with his bodyguard and two other victims. Edgar Pinon, who worked as a sergeant at the New Mexico Department of Corrections at the time of the incident, has opened up about his time spent with Martin on docuseries Hollywood Demons. 'One morning, he wanted to talk to me personally, in private. Right away, he started talking about his tattoo of Justin Bieber,' he said. Martin was serving two life sentences for the 2000 rape and murder of 15-year-old DeAndra Florucci at the time. 'He went on and on about how he's been trying to make contact with Justin,' Pinon shared. 'That's when he started telling us a story. He had arranged for two individuals to travel to the East Coast, and he gave them a hit list.' As a result of his boasting, Martin's two hit men were caught by cops on November 19, 2012, when they attempted to cross into Vermont after taking the wrong road and ending up in Canada. 'Their vehicle was searched, and they were able to find shears and neckties,' Pinon explained. 'Those were the tools necessary to commit the crimes.' Martin wrote letters to the 'Baby' singer, then only 18, and had felt rejected when they weren't answered, the prisoner explained in an interrogation. He later said during his own interrogation: 'There's these people that I wanted to get killed. What we wanted to do for possible notoriety which was you know kidnapping him. The point of this whole thing was killing Justin Bieber. I'm a nobody in prison. I want Justin Bieber to know who I am. It's crazy, isn't it?' It was revealed during trial that Martin had planned to carry out the castration himself, the instrument for which would be handheld hedge clippers used for trimming roses. Despite the plan having been in motion, officer Pinon went on to insist that he felt as if Martin didn't actually want Bieber murdered. 'In my opinion, I don't think Dana actually wanted to murder Justin Bieber,' Pinon shared. 'Because if he does, he can't get no more music from him, no more news of what's going on with him. My impression is Dana wanted Justin Bieber to know who he was, he wanted him to say, 'Hey, I am here, I am a huge fan.''
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers, advocates lament Gov's veto of parole reform
A New Mexico Department of Corrections official walks toward the front entrance of the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants in November 2021. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source New Mexico) Sponsors and advocates who had hoped to see reforms for New Mexico's board governing parole continue to question the rationale behind Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's Saturday veto. Senate Bill 17 would have enacted a series of changes to professionalize the New Mexico Parole Board, and change how its members consider incarcerated people's requests for release. At the all-volunteer board's quarterly public meeting on Tuesday, Chair Abram Anaya said SB17 would have allowed its members 'to do some really wonderful things' like receive payment for their work and require the governor to have cause to remove them 'like every other board.' 'We're one of the only ones at the whim of the governor,' said Anaya, who has been on the board for 13 years. Not only did the bill aim to change the board, it also sought to reform the larger system of parole. Parole Board Director Roberta Cohen said Tuesday the veto isn't the outcome members hoped for, but added, 'Maybe we'll take a look at it if there's a special session or next year in the 30-day session.' Lujan Grisham wrote in the veto message that she believes the parole board should be a state agency so members can be paid for their work and have their positions protected as state employees. She wrote that to accomplish this, she commits to submitting a special message authorizing lawmakers to debate the proposal during next year's 30-day session. Lujan Grisham wrote in her veto message that while she supports modernizing the board's metrics for hearing parole requests, she disagreed with part of the legislation that would have made it harder for the executive branch to remove members of the Parole Board. Currently, state law allows the governor to remove members at will. She wrote that SB17 would have made it 'virtually impossible' to remove them. In a written statement to Source NM, SB17 co-sponsor Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) called Lujan Grisham's veto 'especially perplexing' because it disregarded the broad consensus on the bill and 'misrepresented a key provision' about board member removal. Romero said the Legislature has long protected members of boards and commissions from arbitrary removal and SB17 'simply mirrored standard language already present in numerous New Mexico board and commission statutes.' 'These due process protections were not only reasonable; they were consistent with existing law and the fundamental fairness that our parole board members deserve,' she said. Indeed, the language the governor characterized as unworkable in her veto message already protects members of the Ethics Commission, the Nursing Board, the Pharmacy Board, the Optometry Board, the Lottery Authority, the Architects Board, the Engineering and Surveying Board, the Landscape Architects Board, the Social Work Board and the Physical Therapy Board. Romero told Source NM that SB17's sponsors spent a lot of time and energy before the session talking with stakeholders to ensure the bill was based on evidence, responsive to crime victims' needs and bipartisan in nature. 'We were proud to bring such a well-vetted bill to the 60-day session, particularly in a time of deep political polarization around public safety,' she said. Romero, Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española) and Rep. Nicole Chavez (R-Albuquerque) carried the bill, which the House of Representatives unanimously passed on Feb. 19 and the Senate pas passed on March 17. Romero pointed out that SB17 'brought together advocates, agencies, and stakeholders who are often on opposing sides of these issues.' Before voters sent Chavez to the Roundhouse, she often testified on bills as a victims' rights advocate. She told Source NM in a text message on Thursday that as a lawmaker and a victim of crime, she is deeply disheartened by the veto. 'I remain committed to working across party lines to get this done because public safety and justice should never be partisan issues,' she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The protection offered by SB17 would have shielded board members from arbitrary or politically motivated removal while maintaining their accountability to professional standards and legal obligations, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico said in a news release reacting to the veto on Saturday. When Source NM sent the Parole Board an email seeking an interview with either Cohen or Anaya about the veto, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Corrections Department sent a statement on the board's behalf that directed Source NM to the governor's veto message. 'The New Mexico Parole Board fully stands by the contents of this message,' said Corrections Department Public Information Officer Brittany Roembach. Lena Weber, ACLU-NM's interim policy director, said Lujan Grisham's veto message 'embodies the very kind of executive attitude we hoped to protect the parole board from in passing SB17.' 'To now have the governor defend her power to remove public officers without cause by vetoing legislation that received overwhelming support is deeply disappointing,' ACLU-NM staff attorney Denali Wilson, who helped draft SB17, said in the statement. Sheila Lewis, a former Parole Board chair whom Lujan Grisham removed in 2020, told Source NM she thinks it's a mistake to have board members fearful of losing their appointment because they make difficult decisions, even when they're the right one. 'It does put a damper on the decision-making process,' Lewis said. SB17 wasn't the only bill dealing with the governor's power to remove public officials that was affected by Lujan Grisham's veto this session. She also struck part of Senate Bill 5, which would have enacted similar protections for members of the New Mexico Game Commission. Brittany Fallon, a policy manager with Western Resource Advocates, told Source NM on Thursday both pieces of legislation were bipartisan, instituted a public removal process for public officials, were negotiated with the governor's office and the relevant state agencies and accepted amendments from the governor's office. 'She had ample opportunity to weigh in and didn't in both cases,' Fallon said. 'It's not really about the Game Commission, it's about executive power, which is the same with the Parole Board bill.' Aside from the board member provisions, SB17 would have updated the factors board members consider when making a parole decision and ensured more considerate scheduling of hearings for victims' families, ACLU-NM said on Saturday. Weber said for New Mexico's parole system to function, it's critical for board members to not fear losing their position 'simply because they aren't politically aligned with the governor.' 'By vetoing SB17, the governor has chosen to reject common-sense reforms and insisted on preserving her unilateral removal authority, forcing our parole system to continue operating under antiquated standards that fail to properly consider evidence of rehabilitation and readiness for reentry,' she said. Lewis told Source NM the reforms proposed in SB17 were more important than the board member protections but have been 'lost in the shuffle' because of the veto. New Mexico law on this issue originally intended for the punishment phase of a prison sentence to end after three decades, 'but it was never clearly articulated,' said Lewis, a former public defender. The bill would have clearly told the parole board to stop looking back at someone's crime and instead consider whether they're ready to reenter society, she said. 'I've been doing this my whole life, for over 40 years, and there are lots of people I don't want to see out of prison but the people who I've been dealing with who've served life in prison, are really kind of extraordinary people,' Lewis said. 'They've made tremendous changes, and they've done tremendous work within the institution.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
