Rust production wanted to fire ‘difficult to work with’ armourer before Alec Baldwin shooting
“Rust” first assistant director David Halls testified during the trial, and choked up when he recalled the shooting of Halyna Hutchins
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“Rust” prop master Sarah Zachry testified during the trial and admitted to a defence attorney that she had previously voiced a desire to both fire Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and — after the shooting of Halyna Hutchins — see her sent to prison.
After the cross-exam, Ms Zachry told the prosection that the armourer was not easy to work with and confirmed that Gutierrez-Reed had called her a “c***,” which the prosecution argued is likely why Ms Zachry wanted to fire her.
Gutierrez-Reed is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of Ms Hutchins. Actor and producer Alec Baldwin is also facing involuntary manslaughter charges related to the shooting. His trial will begin on 9 July.
The prosecution seeks to prove that Gutierrez-Reed was negligent in her duties on set and that proper protocol was in place during the investigation of the shooting. The state claims the armourer was “sloppy” and had left guns unattended on the set.
Gutierrez-Reed is also facing an evidence tampering charge for allegedly asking a friend to hide cocaine for her while police were investigating the shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed faces up to three years in prison if she is convicted.
ICYMI: Guttierez-Reed struggles to maintain composure while viewing autopsy photos
Hannah Guttierez-Reed has maintained a generally stoic expression for the majority of the trial, but she appeared close to breaking on Tuesday when she was shown autopsy photos of Halyna Hutchins.
The photos were shown during the testimony of University of New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr Heather Jarrell.
Dr Jarrell said that the photos showed Ms Hutchins before her wounds had been cleaned, as is typical practice for medical examiners.
Ms Guttierez-Reed was visibly disturbed by the images, and her eyes frequently darted away from the screen.
ICYMI: Forensic firearms analyst says ammo taken from New Mexico prop shop was different from live bullet found on set
Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services testified to the court today that the bullets he examined — which were collected from the New Mexico prop shop that provided ammunition to the set of “Rust” — were not the same as the live round that was recovered from the set.
The prosecution is trying to undermine the defence’s argument that the prop shop could have accidentally sent a live round to the set.
EXPLAINER — Alec Baldwin: What is involuntary manslaughter and the expected sentence?
Alec Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the on-set death of Halyna Hutchins, the Santa Fe District Attorney has said.
What is involuntary manslaughter?
The Santa Fe DA said that Mr Baldwin and Ms Gutierrez-Reed would be “charged in the alternative” with two counts of manslaughter.
This means that a “jury would decide not simply if they were guilty, but under which definition of involuntary manslaughter they were guilty,” the DA said in a statement.
READ MORE:
Alec Baldwin: What is involuntary manslaughter and the expected sentence?
‘Jury would decide not simply if they were guilty, but under which definition of involuntary manslaughter they were guilty’
Images from ‘Rust’ trial
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s detective says no one she talked to agreed with defence attorney’s ‘sabotage’ theory
The state has called Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detective Alexandria Hancock.
She discussed having conversations with numerous people associated with the “Rust” shooting, including Thell Reed, the armourer father of Hannah Guttierez-Reed.
She also said that of all the people she talked with since 2021, she never found anyone corroborating defence attorney Jason Bowles theory that someone “sabotaged” Guttierez-Reed by bringing live ammuniton to the set.
‘Sloppy’ armourer or ‘easy target’: Key moments so far from Rust shooting trial
The subsequent investigation into the shooting resulted in both Alec Baldwin and the production’s armourerHannah Gutierez-Reed facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
Ms Gutierrez-Reed’s trial began in mid-February. She has pleaded not guilty to two charges of involuntary manslaughter and a charge of tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors have accused Ms Gutierez-Reed – who in her role was in charge of maintaining the safety and functionality of firearms on the movie set – was negligent on set, that she brought live rounds to the production, one of which was the bullet that killed Hutchins.
Here are the key revelations from the trial – so far:
‘Sloppy’ armourer or ‘easy target’: Key moments so far from Rust shooting trial
The state called Gutierez-Reed ‘sloppy’ and ‘unprofessional’ while defence described her as an ‘easy target’. Graig Graziosi reports on the key moments in the trial so far
‘I’m like the only female armourer in the game and I just f***** my whole entire career’
A video taken from the bodycamera footage of Santa Fe County Sheriff’s detective Alexandria Hancock was played in court. The footage shows Ms Hancock escorting Gutierrez-Reed to the bathroom on the day Halyna Hutchins was shot.
“Welcome to the worst day of my life,” Gutierrez-Reed says as the two walk toward the bathroom.
She later says “I can’t believe Alec Baldwin was holding the gun, that’s so f*****,” Gutierrez-Reed says.
She also asks to be moved to another car to avoid being seen by her coworkers.
“I just want to get the f*** out of here and never show my face in this industry again,” she says.
When Ms Hancock asks her what about her background, she says she’s new to the industry but fears she’s ruined her career.
“I’m like the only female armourer in the game and I just f***** up my entire career,” she says.
Watch the ‘Rust’ trial with The Independent
Live: Rust trial continues for armorer Hannah Gutierrez charged with involuntary manslaughter
Watch live as Rust trial continues for armorer Hannah Gutierrez charged with involuntary manslaughterWatch more on Independent TV: https://www.independent.co...
This morning — trial continues with more video footage of Gutierrez-Reed
The involuntary manslaughter trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer on the set of ‘Rust,” has resumed.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s detective Alexandria Hancock is testifying for the state. The state has shown hours of video footage featuring Gutierrez-Reed speaking with police in the aftermath of the shooting.
This morning, the footage features Gutierrez-Reed talking about accidental discharges on the film’s set.
Gutierrez-Reed says she’s ‘not sure’ how a live round got into one of her ammo boxes
The court saw video footage taken from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s discussions with investigators.
She said that on the day of the shooting, she picked up a box of dummy ammunition and shook them to hear the “jingle.”
Dummy rounds are often hollow with a ball bearing inside to indicate they are not live rounds. The prosecution argued that Gutierrez-Reed would not have been able to ascertain that every round in the box was a dummy round.
Gutierrez-Reed later said she loaded every round into the revolver Alec Baldwin would ultimately use to shoot Halyna Hutchins. When investigators asked how that could be since a live round wound up in the car, Gutierrez-Reed said she did not know.