The armorer on the set of the Western movie “Rust,” where a cinematographer died after a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin went off, has asked a New Mexico judge to dismiss her case.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in April over her role in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died after being shot on the set in October 2021.
The gun used by Mr. Baldwin had live ammunition in it, for which Gutierrez-Reed was found liable for not following proper safety protocols.
Mr. Baldwin also faced involuntary manslaughter charges, but his case was dismissed with prejudice Friday because prosecutors and police concealed possible evidence of the truth.
Troy Teske brought the live bullets he found into the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office the day Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March, having previously tried to give it to her defense team, according to The New York Times.
The bullets were kept separate from other “Rust” evidence and were not turned over to Mr. Baldwin’s defense team.
When Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers asked prosecutors about the bullets in January, prosecutor Kari Morrissey told them she “found them visually dissimilar and not relevant,” according to the pop culture site Vulture.
The judge in the case found that the ammunition that was discovered and withheld could have explained why live bullets were on the set.
Now Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers want her case dismissed or for a new trial.
“This court stated on July 12 that the integrity of the judicial system demanded that the court dismiss Mr. Baldwin’s case with prejudice. How can it be any different with Ms. Gutierrez-Reed’s case, with this proven litany of serious discovery abuses?” defense attorney Jason Bowles said in a court filing Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.