'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed pleads guilty in separate case
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, has pleaded guilty to a separate criminal charge. The charge relates to carrying a firearm into a licensed liquor establishment. In return for her plea, Gutierrez-Reed was handed a reduced sentence of 18 months supervised probation. The agreement—approved by Judge T Glenn Ellington—will run concurrently with her 18-month prison term for involuntary manslaughter in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins's death on the Rust set.
Gutierrez-Reed apologized to the court for her actions
Gutierrez-Reed appeared in a Santa Fe courtroom on Tuesday (local time), wearing a beige jumpsuit with handcuffs and ankle shackles. She changed her plea to guilty, waiving her right to trial. Speaking to the court, she said, "I'd just like to apologize to the court and thank you for your judgment today." The case stemmed from evidence that Gutierrez-Reed had carried a gun into a downtown bar in Santa Fe where guns are prohibited.
Video evidence led to Gutierrez-Reed's conviction
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey revealed Gutierrez-Reed had filmed herself in the bar's bathroom with a handgun. In the video, she detailed how she smuggled the banned firearm into the establishment. The footage was found when authorities searched her phone during the investigation into Hutchins's death on the Rust set. The armorer is currently serving an 18-month prison term for involuntary manslaughter in this case and has an appeal pending in a higher court.
Plea agreement terms and potential release date
Under the terms of her plea agreement, Gutierrez-Reed is barred from possessing firearms or consuming alcohol or drugs during her probation. She is also ordered to pay $180 in fees, submit a DNA sample to a criminal database, and complete an addiction treatment program. Defense attorney Jason Bowles said this agreement could potentially pave the way for Gutierrez-Reed's release from prison as early as June 2025.
Meanwhile, Baldwin's case was dismissed earlier
Meanwhile, lead actor and co-producer of Rust, Alec Baldwin was also on trial for involuntary manslaughter. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed his case halfway through due to the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense. Despite this dismissal, Morrissey has requested the judge to reconsider. To note, Rust is set for its premiere in Poland at the end of November—three years after the tragic on-set shooting that claimed the life of cinematographer Hutchins.
