Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie Rust, finally learned her fate on Monday one month after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the killing of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October of 2021.
Gutierrez-Reed Sentenced
The New York Post reported that Gutierrez-Reed broke down in tears as she was sentenced to 18 months in a New Mexico women’s prison on Monday. Prosecutors had been asking for this sentence, as it was the maximum that she could be given. Meanwhile, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers had been asking the judge to give her a conditional discharge, which would have meant that she’d be put on probation without entering an adjudication of guilt.
Judge New Mexico District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, however, decided to side with prosecutors.
“A conditional discharge is not appropriate,” Judge Sommer told Gutierrez-Reed as she handed down her sentence. “The second option — leaving you in the detention center — is giving you a pass you do not deserve … you alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, a husband would have his wife and a little boy would have his mother.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s Prison Calls
Gutierrez-Reed had been in custody since she was found guilty on March 6, and it was her own calls from jail that came back to bite her during her sentencing.
“I wasn’t sure exactly what recommendation would be appropriate in this unprecedented case until last week when I completed the review of Ms. Gutierrez’s jail calls,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the judge at today’s hearing.
“It was my sincere hope during this process that there would be some moment when Ms. Gutierrez took responsibility and expressed some level of remorse that was genuine,” she continued. “That moment has never come. Ms. Gutierrez continues to refuse to take responsibility for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s Trial
In her trial, prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed had “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety on the Rust film set, blaming her negligence for the death of Hutchins, who was shot by Baldwin. Gutierrez-Reed’s defense lawyers fired back by claiming that she was a “convenient scapegoat” in this case, according to ABC News.
After Gutierrez-Reed as found guilty, her defense attorneys argued in their sentencing memorandum that she “has endured and will continue to endure collateral consequences far harsher than most defendants ever must face.”
“This conviction and press deluge will forever impact her life going forward, including with job prospects, and simply trying to lead a ‘normal’ life again someday,” her attorneys wrote, adding that she feels “incredibly saddened and heart broken by what happened on that tragic day” on the Rust movie set.
Related: Alec Baldwin Attacks Family Of Cinematographer He Fatally Shot On ‘Rust’ Set
Baldwin To Go To Trial
Baldwin, who was holding the gun when it discharged and killed Hutchins and injured the Rust director Joel Souza, is set to go on trial on July 10. He’s maintained his innocence and is actively trying to get the charges against him dropped.
The Associated Press reported that back in January, a grand jury indicted Baldwin on the charge of involuntary manslaughter, the same charge that Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of last month. Baldwin will be facing the same 18 month sentence that she was just hit with if he is found guilty.
This was clearly a major tragedy for everyone involved. It will certainly be interesting to see if Baldwin meets the same fate as Gutierrez-Reed when he goes to trial this summer.
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