A judge on Friday denied Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s request for a new trial.
The convicted ‘Rust’ Armorer also plans to appeal his March 6 manslaughter conviction, but will remain in prison until sentencing.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, argued it would be “unfair” to force the armorer to serve his entire sentence if the sentence is reversed. Prosecutors opposed her release.
“Keep in mind that there was a death that the jury determined was her fault, so I will not release her,” Judge Mary Marlow Sommer said.
Alec Baldwin’s ‘rusty’ armorer calls for new trial ‘battle uphill’ after conviction: expert
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will remain in jail until she is sentenced, a judge ruled Friday. (Courtesy of New Mexico State Court)
Sommer also denied Gutierrez-Reed’s request for a new trial based on a jury instruction error.
“I am well aware of what happened in the trial,” the judge said before explaining the reasons for his decision.
“The jury instructions in this case are distinguishable from the case presented by Gutierrez-Reed’s defense team in their arguments,” she said.
Bowles had argued that instructions given during the trial “could confuse the jury and lead to a non-unanimous verdict.”
Halina Hutchins Director of photography for “Rust”was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin while directing a scene in a small church at Bonanza Creek Ranch in 2021. Baldwin is scheduled to appear in court for his own manslaughter trial in July.
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Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins. (Luis Sánchez Saturno – Pool/Getty Images)
Armorer’s TrialThe investigation, which began on February 21, included testimony from weapons experts, the FBI, Santa Fe County authorities and the crew who witnessed the fatal shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of manslaughter on March 6. During Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, her prosecutors focused primarily on Gutierrez-Reed’s actions as her armorer, arguing that she was not doing her job properly.
“Hannah Gutierrez knew Baldwin was loose. She knew it,” Morrissey said in closing arguments. “Even though it was her job, she didn’t do anything about it. That was her job, if you really want to call an A-list actor that. ‘Hey, you can’t have that attitude when handling firearms.’ That’s her job. That’s what they pay her. That’s the job she applied for. That’s the job she accepted. ”
However, her lawyers do not believe the jury was properly instructed. Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said the instructions “could confuse the jury and lead to a non-unanimous verdict.”
Hannah Gutierrez Reed listens to the verdict read in her manslaughter case. (Courtesy of New Mexico State Court)
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In court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Bowles cited the New Mexico Supreme Court’s decision on the request for reconsideration.
“In Taylor, the court reversed a child abuse conviction based on a jury instruction error,” the document states. “Specifically, the court criticized the use and/or listing of various acts that a jury might find the defendant had committed. activities that may lead to non-unanimous verdicts on matters. “
Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis argued that the jury instructions were “not confusing or legally insufficient.”
“Although courts have been clear that the use of ‘and/or’ should be avoided in jury instructions, the test for determining whether an instruction is legally insufficient is much more complex.” prosecutors wrote in a response obtained by FOX News Digital. .
Hannah Gutierrez Reed worked as an armorer on the set of “Rust.” Alec Baldwin was the man holding the gun that fired her, killing cinematographer Halina Hutchins. (Courtesy of New Mexico State Court)
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