LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On the set of 'Rust' in October 2021, Halyna Hutchins was tragically killed when the pretend gun Alec Baldwin was holding suddenly fired, hitting and killing the cinematographer and wounding director Joel Souza.
A number of things have happened in the months following the disaster in New Mexico, including lawsuits, criminal charges against Baldwin that were later dropped, and claims that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armorer, used marijuana and drank beer while the Western was being filmed.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was accused of involuntary manslaughter
Then, on June 22, 2023, the prosecution brought a further accusation of tampering with evidence against Gutierrez-Reed. Before this, she was accused of one crime of involuntary manslaughter. According to the prosecution, on or around October 21, 2021, in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Gutierrez-Reed "did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution, or conviction of herself, and the highest crime was a fourth-degree felony," as reported by ET Online.
'No prior notice or any witness statements'
Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed's attorney said, "Something is rotten in Denmark. It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, with no prior notice or any witness statements, lab reports, or evidence to support it. This comes on the heels of the state letting its lead investigator go, and the investigator raising serious concerns about the investigation in an email. This stinks to high heaven and is retaliatory and vindictive," as reported by ET.
'Drinking heavily during the shooting of Rust'
Regarding claims that she used marijuana and drank beer while the Western was being filmed, prosecutors claimed in court records acquired by ET that she was probably hungover when she loaded the fake pistol with a "live bullet." Furthermore, according to the prosecution, witnesses informed investigators that Gutierrez-Reed "was smoking marijuana in the evenings during the shooting of Rust" and "was drinking heavily during the shooting of Rust."
In response to Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys' request in May to have an indictment against her dismissed prosecutors responded in the document. They said, "It is likely that Defendant Gutierrez was hungover when she inserted a live bullet into a gun that she knew was going to be used at some point by an actor while filming a shooting scene with other actors and crew members," as reported by ETOnline.
'The case is so weak that they now have chosen to resort to character assassination'
In response to the prosecutor's assertions, Bowles said, "The prosecution has so mishandled this case and the case is so weak that they are now resorting to character assassination tactics to further taint the jury pool. This investigation and prosecution has not been about seeking Justice; for them it's been about finding a convenient scapegoat. The case is so weak that they now have chosen to resort to character assassination claims about Hannah. The prosecution has abandoned the idea of doing justice and getting to the actual truth, apparently," as per reports.
