SANTA FE, New Mexico –
A movie weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in prison for Alec Baldwin’s shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film “Rust,” during a hearing Monday in which family members and Friends, through tears, gave testimonies that included calls for justice. and a punishment that would instill greater responsibility for safety on film sets.
Gutierrez-Reed was unsuccessful in her request for a lesser sentence and told the judge that she was not the monster people had made her out to be and that she had tried to do the best she could on set despite not having “the adequate time, resources and capacity. staffing.”
Baldwin, lead actor and co-producer of “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal for a film set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. .
Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter. His trial is scheduled for July in a Santa Fe court.
The sentence against Gutiérrez-Reed was handed down by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Summer, who is overseeing the trial against Baldwin. The judge said any sentence less than the maximum would not be appropriate given that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a serious violent crime.
“You were the gunsmith, the one who stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone,” the judge told Gutierrez-Reed. “You were the only one who turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. If it weren’t for you, Mrs. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have her partner, and a child would have her mother.”
Gutierrez-Reed cried when Hutchins’ agent, Craig Mizrahi, spoke about the cinematographer’s creativity and described her as a rising star in Hollywood. He said it was a chain of events that led to Hutchins’ death and that if the gunsmith had been doing her job, that chain would have been broken.
Friends and family remembered Hutchins as brave, tenacious and compassionate – a “bright ray of light” who could have achieved great things within the film industry.
“I truly believe this was due to negligence,” Steven Metz testified. “This case should set a precedent for all the other actors, cinematographers and everyone on set whose lives are at risk when we have negligence on the part of a gunsmith, a so-called gunsmith.”
Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred read a statement from Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, who said her life had been split in two and that time did not heal, but only prolonged her pain and suffering. A video of a tearful Solovey, who lives in Ukraine, was also shown in court.
“Losing a child is the hardest thing. There are no words to describe it,” Solovey said in her native language.
Hutchins’ Ukrainian relatives are demanding compensation from Baldwin for his death in connection with the shooting. Allred said after Monday’s hearing that the family supports criminal prosecution of him.
Gutierrez-Reed’s defense attorneys asked for leniency in sentencing, including possible probation that would prevent further prison terms and keep an adjudication of guilt off his record if certain conditions are met.
Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted at trial of accusations that she tampered with evidence in the “Rust” investigation. She also pleaded not guilty to a separate felony charge for allegedly carrying a gun into a bar in Santa Fe where firearms are prohibited.
Hannah Gutiérrez-Reed, the former gunsmith from the movie ‘Rust,’ listens to closing arguments in her trial in district court, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)
Defense attorneys have highlighted Gutierrez-Reed’s relatively young age, 26, “and the devastating effect that a serious crime will have on her future life,” arguing that she will always be negatively affected by the intense publicity associated with her prosecution. in parallel with a list A. actor.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey urged the judge to impose the maximum prison sentence and designate Gutierrez-Reed as a “serious violent offender” to limit his eligibility for a sentence reduction later, and described the defendant’s behavior on the set of “Rust” as exceptionally reckless.
Morrissey told the judge Monday that he reviewed nearly 200 phone calls Gutierrez-Reed had made from jail over the past month. He said he hoped there would come a time when the accused took responsibility for what happened or expressed genuine remorse.
“That time has never come,” Morrissey said. “Ms. Gutierrez continues to refuse to accept responsibility for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins.”
The judge noted that the sentencing was influenced by summarized transcripts of Gutiérrez-Reed’s jailhouse phone conversations.
“Hannah says people get into accidents and die, it’s an unfortunate part of life, but that doesn’t mean she should be in jail,” Marlowe Sommer said. “The word ‘remorse’ (a deep regret arising from a feeling of guilt for past mistakes) is not yours.”
Defense attorneys argued Monday that Gutierrez-Reed was remorseful and having nervous breakdowns over Hutchins’ death. They also pointed to systemic problems that led to the shooting.
“Rust” Deputy Chief and Safety Coordinator Dave Halls last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation. “Rust” prop master Sarah Zachry, who shared some firearms responsibilities on the “Rust” set, signed a deal with prosecutors to avoid prosecution in exchange for her cooperation.
The pending firearms charge against Gutierrez-Reed stems from an incident at a bar in downtown Santa Fe, days before she was hired to work as a gunsmith on “Rust.” Prosecutors say investigations into the fatal shooting led to the discovery of a selfie video in which Gutierrez-Reed filmed himself carrying a firearm into the bar, while defense attorneys allege a vindictive prosecution.