After the end of the trial

“Rust” armorer demands overturning of verdict

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed(Bild: APA/Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

Following the termination of the trial against US actor Alec Baldwin for fatally shooting a camerawoman during the filming of the western "Rust", the already convicted weapons master on the film set wants her case to be reopened. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers requested that her client's conviction for involuntary manslaughter be overturned "immediately".

Gutierrez-Reed had already appealed against her 18-month prison sentence before the Baldwin trial.

The motion now filed states that prosecutor Kari Morrissey "lied to this court several times". She was also "involved in the decision" to "conceal" the bullets that were important to the case as evidence. The prosecutor also withheld other evidence relevant to Gutierrez's case until after her trial.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed(Bild: APA/Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

Lawyers: "Evidence was withheld"
 In an emergency motion, they demanded either a new trial or that the verdict be set aside due to the "serious and ongoing violation of the state's duty of disclosure". The withholding of evidence casts doubt on the "integrity" of the entire trial, the lawyers said. "Justice demands that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's conviction be overturned immediately."

Maximum sentence for gun master
During the filming of the western "Rust" in 2021, camerawoman Hutchins was fatally shot by a bullet from a revolver held by Baldwin. Director Joel Souza was injured by the same bullet. Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter earlier this year.

Origin of the real bullet never clarified
As an armorer on the film set, she was responsible for procuring dummies and blanks for the shoot. She accidentally loaded the deadly weapon with a live bullet - the origin of which was never clarified.

Trial against Baldwin discontinued
In a spectacular twist, the trial against Baldwin was discontinued on Friday. The judge in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico justified the decision by stating that evidence had been deliberately withheld from the defense.