New Mexico jurors will now consider whether armorer Hannah Gutierrez was responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins. Alec Baldwin faces trial in July.
The “Rust” movie armorer’s fate now rests with a 12-member jury after two weeks of dramatic testimony about events leading up to the October 2021 moment when actor Alec Baldwin’s gun went off, killing the western film’s cinematographer.
On Wednesday, special prosecutors and attorneys for weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez finished presenting their cases in her Santa Fe trial on involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges. If convicted, the 26-year-old Arizona woman faces up to three years in prison for her role in the death of photography director Halyna Hutchins.
“Hannah Gutierrez loaded live ammunition into a firearm,” special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey told the jury, alleging that Gutierrez had failed to discover six live bullets on the movie set. “The astonishing lack of diligence with regard to gun safety is, without question, a significant cause of the death of Halyna Hutchins.”
Gutierrez long ago acknowledged loading Baldwin’s gun with what she thought were inert “dummy” rounds. Baldwin has described how he was practicing an upcoming scene by pointing his prop pistol — a fully functioning Colt .45 revolver — at Hutchins, unaware that an actual bullet was one of six rounds packed inside the chamber.
Beyond airing allegations that Gutierrez was inattentive, “sloppy” and lacked respect among crew members and producers, prosecutors produced fresh details about Baldwin’s behind-the-scenes actions. During questioning of a key witness, defense attorney Jason Bowles said the prominent actor’s on-set conduct suggested he was “running the show. … He’s the big boss.”
Baldwin, who was indicted by a Santa Fe County grand jury in January on an involuntary manslaughter charge, is scheduled to go on trial in July. If convicted, he faces 18 months in prison. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and has denied pulling the trigger.
Special prosecutors didn’t wait for Baldwin’s upcoming trial to produce evidence about his actions during the “Rust” filming as they presented their case against Gutierrez.
“The prosecution showed solid evidence that this [movie shooting] was not just an accident but that set was an accident waiting to happen,” Los Angeles trial attorney David Ring, who is not involved in the “Rust” matter, said in an interview. “They put on a very compelling case that Ms. Gutierrez was unfit for the job.”
Bowles, in contrast, said Gutierrez was “the convenient fall person.”
“Justice for Halyna does not mean injustice for Hannah,” Bowles said. “Management was responsible for safety failures, and not Hannah.”
Here’s what we learned during the first criminal trial stemming from the “Rust” movie shooting:
Baldwin was one of more than a dozen producers on “Rust,” and he received a co-credit for writing the screenplay. Director Joel Souza, who was injured by the same bullet that killed Hutchins, testified last week that Baldwin initially hired him to pen the script for the film, which initially had a $7.5-million budget.
After Hutchins’ death, filming halted in New Mexico. Baldwin and others finished the movie last spring in Montana.
Baldwin previously has downplayed his onset authority, saying while he had input into creative decisions, he didn’t make recommendations on hiring crew members. Production managers handled logistics, including hiring Gutierrez and inexperienced prop master Sarah Zachry — just days before pre-production on “Rust” began at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a well-known movie location near Santa Fe.
Several witnesses testified that the 65-year-old actor, known for roles on “Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October,” was a towering presence. That view that bolstered by behind-the-scenes footage that prosecutors subpoenaed.
In one video, Baldwin, dressed in character as the outlaw Harland Rust, bursts from a wooden shack carrying two weapons.
