The trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, armorer on the ill-fated film “Rust,” began Wednesday with jury selection.
Gutierrez-Reed, 25, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021, on Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, N.M.
Hutchins was the film’s cinematographer.
Actor Alec Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 revolver when it fired a bullet that fatally struck Hutchins. Baldwin has claimed he never pulled the trigger, but he also faces a separate involuntary manslaughter charge.
Investigators have said Gutierrez-Reed loaded the gun with live ammunition and passed it to assistant director David Halls, who declared it “cold” and handed it to Baldwin. Halls pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and served six months of probation.
Prosecutors have argued Gutierrez-Reed was negligent in her handling of the firearm and the live ammo on set. No live ammunition was ever supposed to be on the set, but production of the film was a chaotic mess according to a state agency that reviewed safety violations on the “Rust” set. It has not been established how the bullet that killed Hutchins made it to the set.
Gutierrez-Reed’s defense attorneys have argued that she has been scapegoated and was not to blame for Hutchins’ death.
She is also facing a charge of evidence tampering for allegedly handing a bag of possible narcotics to another crew member after the shooting. Her defense team says that charge was only added to smear her character, as the bag was thrown away before its contents were even tested.
Around 70 residents from the Santa Fe area were called to the courthouse as potential jurors. More than 40 witnesses are listed for the trial, which is expected to last until March 6. If convicted, Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
With News Wire Services
