At the beginning of March this year, gun master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (27) was found guilty of neglecting her duty of supervision on the set of the Western “Rust” and thus contributing to the death of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (1979-2021). Now the sentence was read out by the responsible judge – according to the US site “Variety”, the maximum sentence was 18 months in prison without parole. The court stated that Gutierrez-Reed had never shown remorse.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer is quoted as saying: “You alone turned a safe weapon into a deadly weapon. Without you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother.” In a prepared statement, Gutierrez-Reed said she was “saddened by the way the media sensationalized our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster.”
The statement continued: “Although I did not have the time, resources and personnel necessary, when things got difficult, I did my best to cope. I ask you, please do not give me more prison time. The jury “I am complicit in this terrible tragedy. But that doesn’t make me a monster. That makes me human.”
The main reason why there was no suspended sentence were telephone conversations Gutierrez-Reed made while in custody. In them she continued to be unreasonable, blamed others and described the jury as “idiots”. According to US media, her lawyers had previously tried to reopen the trial. Now they want to appeal the verdict.
Lead actor and producer Alec Baldwin (66) is also charged with negligent homicide and is scheduled to go on trial from July 2024. However, his legal team is currently reportedly trying to fight the case. “TMZ” recently reported that Baldwin is accusing prosecutors of using biased and therefore inadmissible witnesses to secure his indictment.
