Hannah Gutierrez, 'Rust' western movie armorer, released from prison
Gutierrez was released Friday from a New Mexico women's prison after completing her sentence in the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Gutierrez was one of three people charged in Hutchins' death on the movie set south of Santa Fe, N.M., but the only one who received a felony conviction. A jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death following a dramatic two-week trial last year in Santa Fe.
New Mexico prosecutors faulted the Arizona woman for reckless handling of firearms and ammunition in violation of gun safety rules.
The special prosecutor also argued that Gutierrez had unwittingly brought the live bullets with her to the popular western film location, Bonanza Creek Ranch, and mingled them with inert "dummy" bullets used on film sets.
Gutierrez has denied that allegation. There was no conclusive evidence presented about the origins of the live bullets.
Baldwin, who pointed the gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal, also was charged. He pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the shooting that killed the 42-year-old cinematographer, a rising star in the industry, and wounded the film's director, Joel Souza.
The New Mexico judge overseeing the "Rust" criminal prosecutions, New Mexico 1st Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, dismissed the charge against Baldwin three days into his high-profile trial last July.
Marlowe Sommer found the prosecutor and Santa Fe County sheriff's deputies had concealed evidence from Baldwin's legal team, which the judge said prejudiced the case against Baldwin. At the time, the actor-producer's team was exploring whether prosecutors and sheriff's deputies botched the investigation into how the bullets made their way onto the set.
Read more: Behind the spectacular collapse of the Alec Baldwin 'Rust' shooting prosecution
Assistant director David Halls was also charged in the shooting.
Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon and received a suspended six-month sentence, which ended in October 2023. Halls, who has since retired from the industry, agreed to pay a $500 fine, participate in a firearms safety class, refrain from taking drugs or alcohol and complete 24 hours of community service.
Gutierrez had received the maximum sentence for her role.
She was released on parole. She also is being supervised under terms of probation after pleading guilty to a separate charge of unlawfully carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar that prohibited firearms a few days before the fatal shooting, according to the Associated Press.
Terms of her parole include mental health assessments and a ban on firearms possession.
Gutierrez, through her attorney, declined an interview request Sunday.
'When I took on 'Rust,' I was young and I was naive but I took my job as seriously as I knew how to," Gutierrez told the judge during her April 2024 sentencing hearing.
Read more: Dramatic 'Rust' shooting testimony: 'The gun went off' and then, 'I can't feel my legs'
Marlowe Sommer, who also presided over the armorer's case, gave Gutierrez the maximum sentence, saying: "You were the armorer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone. .. You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon."
With Gutierrez's release, the criminal phase of the "Rust" saga has concluded.
Several civil lawsuits against Baldwin and the producers, including from Hutchins' family members, remain unresolved.
Baldwin and other actors and crew members finished filming in Montana, 18 months after the fatal shooting in New Mexico. The movie was finally released on just a handful of screens.
Read more: The day Alec Baldwin shot Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza
The October 2021 shooting shined a harsh light on film set safety, particularly on low-budget productions.
"Rust" was racked with problems, including allegations of safety rules and hiring inexperienced crew members such as Gutierrez. 'Rust' was just her second job as head armorer. She also was tasked with the job of prop assistant.
Hours before the fatal shooting, 'Rust' camera crew members had walked off the job to protest safety concerns and a lack of housing near the film's set. Crew members complained about earlier accidental gun discharges.
Gutierrez is the stepdaughter of well-known Hollywood armorer Thell Reed.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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