‘Rust’ armorer found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in on-set shooting
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on March 7, 2024
Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The jury deliberated for more than two hours on Wednesday before reaching a verdict.
The judge ordered that Gutierrez be remanded into custody following the verdict. She faces up to 18 months in prison with the conviction.
Jurors found her not guilty of tampering with evidence in the case.
Prosecutors told jurors that Gutierrez “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety and that her negligence led to the death of Hutchins, while the defense countered that the 26-year-old is a “convenient scapegoat” during closing arguments in the trial on Wednesday.
During the two-week trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, prosecutors presented evidence they said shows Gutierrez was responsible for bringing six live rounds onto the set — and did not discover them for 12 days before the deadly shooting by failing to perform industry standard safety practices.
Actor Alec Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw in a church on the set of the Western film on Oct. 21, 2021, when the Colt .45 revolver fired a live round, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
Baldwin has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. His trial is scheduled to start in July.
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