SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A film weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the shooting death of Alec Baldwin’s cinematographer on the set of the western movie “The Last.” Friends gave testimony that included calls for justice and punishment to hold them more accountable for safety on film sets.
Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reid Convicted in March by a jury on charges of manslaughter in the death of Director of Photography Halina Hutchins He has been held in a county jail outside Santa Fe for more than a month. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unknowingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Lust,” where he was expressly prohibited, and of failing to follow basic gun safety procedures.
Ms. Gutierrez-Reed told the judge that she did not let people make her into a monster and that she “had the right amount of time, resources, and even though she didn’t have the right amount of time and resources, to be on set.” “I tried my best to do my best,” he said, and his appeal to have his sentence reduced failed. Staffing. ”
Baldwin is the lead actor and co-producer of “Rust.” point the gun at Hutchins In October 2021, a revolver went off during rehearsals on a film set outside Santa Fe, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. He is scheduled to stand trial in Santa Fe court in July.
Gutierrez-Reed’s sentence was handed down by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlow Sommer, who is overseeing the case against Baldwin. The judge said a sentence less than the maximum was not appropriate given that Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a serious act of violence.
“You are an armorer and someone who stands between a safe weapon and a weapon that can kill someone,” the judge told Gutierrez-Reed. “Only you turned a safe weapon into a deadly weapon. But to you, Ms. Hutchins will be alive, her husband will have a partner, and the little boy will have a mother.”
Gutierrez-Reid burst into tears when Hutchins’ agent, Craig Mizrahi, spoke of 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 the chain would have been broken if the armorer had done his job.
Friends and family recalled Hutchins as courageous, tenacious, caring and a “bright ray” who had the potential to achieve great things in the film industry.
“I really feel this was due to negligence,” Steven Metz testified. “This lawsuit needs to set a precedent for all other actors, cinematographers, and everyone on set whose lives are at risk due to the negligence of armorers and suspected armorers. ”
Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred read a statement from Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, saying her life was split in two and time has not healed, only prolonging the pain and suffering. He said it was. A video of Solovey, who lives in Ukraine, crying was also played in court.
“Losing a child is the most painful thing. There are no words to explain it,” Solovey said in his native language.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys asked for leniency in the sentence, including the possibility of conditional release to avoid further prison time and remove the conviction from his record if certain conditions are met.
Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence during the “Lust” investigation. She also pleaded not guilty to another felony charge in which she allegedly brought a gun into a bar in Santa Fe, where firearms are prohibited.
Defense attorneys emphasized Gutierrez-Reed’s relatively young age and the “devastating impact this felony charge will have on her future life.”
They said the 26-year-old has been forever adversely affected by the intense publicity associated with being charged alongside an A-list actor and suffers from anxiety, fear and depression as a result.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the judge that the defendant’s actions on the set of “The Last” were extremely reckless, and that he designated Gutierrez-Reed a “serious violent offender” and ruled against subsequent reductions in his sentence. It called for the maximum prison sentence to be imposed to limit eligibility.
Morrissey told the judge Monday that he reviewed about 200 phone calls Gutierrez-Reed made from jail last month. She said she had hoped there would be a moment when her defendant would take responsibility for what happened or express her sincere remorse.
“That moment hasn’t come yet,” Morrissey said. “MS. Gutierrez continues to refuse to accept responsibility for her own role in Halina Hutchins’ death.”
The defense argued Monday that Gutierrez-Reed had remorse for Hutchins’ death and was having a mental breakdown. They also pointed to systemic problems that led to the shooting.
Last year, Lust’s assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls was sentenced to six months’ probation without supervision after pleading no contest to negligent handling of a firearm. “The Last” prop master Sarah Zachry, who shared responsibility for firearms on the set of “The Last,” entered into an agreement with prosecutors to avoid prosecution in return for her cooperation.
The firearms charges against Gutierrez-Reed stem from an incident at a bar in downtown Santa Fe days before she was hired as an armorer for The Last. Prosecutors say the investigation into the shooting uncovered a selfie video of Gutierrez-Reed bringing a gun into the bar, while the defense argues the charges are retaliatory.
