Hollywood trial

Fatal shot during “Rust” shoot: guilty verdict

There is a first guilty verdict in connection with the tragic accident during the shooting of "Rust" with Alec Baldwin - the shooter does not have to stand trial until July.

(Bild: APA/Photo by Santa Fe County Sheriff‘s Office/AFP)

Around two and a half years after the death of a camerawoman on the film set of the western "Rust" with Alec Baldwin, a jury has found the master-at-arms Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

However, the jury acquitted the 26-year-old of the charge of tampering with evidence at a court in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico on Wednesday. The sentence was to be announced later. Gutierrez-Reed faces up to three years in prison.

Woman taken directly into custody
The weapons master showed no emotion when the verdict was read out after the ten-day trial. The woman was then taken directly into custody, where, according to the court, she is to remain until the sentence is passed. Her legal team announced their intention to appeal.

Alec Baldwin on the set of "Rust"

(Bild: Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office / Zuma / picturedesk.com)

Here Alec Baldwin rehearses the upcoming scene on a church pew. Just a second later, the fatal shot is fired.

(Bild: Santa Fe County Sheriff)

Hollywood star Baldwin shot 42-year-old camerawoman Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the low-budget production "Rust" at Bonanza Creek Ranch in 2021. Director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder by the same bullet. A trial against Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter is scheduled for July.

Explosive questions still open
It is unclear how live ammunition was able to get into the revolver. Gutierrez-Reed has denied any guilt; she holds the supplier of the film ammunition responsible. During the trial, the prosecution described the armorer as "unprofessional and sloppy".

Armsmaster Hannah Gutierrez-Reed faces up to three years in prison.

(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

She often skipped security measures completely or carried them out hastily. On several occasions, she left firearms and ammunition lying around openly on set.

Massive criticism of security on set
Both director Souza and assistant director David Halls, who pleaded guilty to negligent handling of a weapon last year and received a suspended sentence, testified at the trial. Gun master Gutierrez-Reed came under scrutiny shortly after the tragic incident.

Members of the film crew complained of negligence and a lack of safety on the set, and that the inexperienced gun master was out of her depth and had consumed alcohol and drugs at work. Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers rejected this as "damage to her reputation". The public prosecutor's office was looking for a "scapegoat".