Prosecutors opened the first trial in the « Rust » shooting death by focusing on cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.
On the opening day of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez’s criminal trial, opposing attorneys painted two dramatically different portraits of the embattled 26-year-old weapons handler.
Gutierrez could spend up to three years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering following the October 2021 accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin western that was filming near Santa Fe, N.M.
Prosecutors on Thursday alleged Gutierrez failed in her job to make sure there wasn’t live ammunition on the movie set or in Baldwin’s gun. They also alleged she tampered with evidence by giving a small baggie of “suspected cocaine” to a fellow crew member the night of the shooting. Her defense attorneys countered that Gutierrez was being made into a “scapegoat” for a variety of safety failures on the production.
Jurors seated in a Santa Fe County courtroom watched graphic video footage of frantic efforts to save Hutchins minutes after Baldwin accidentally shot her in the chest with a revolver that was being used as a prop.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas LeFleur was the first witness to take the stand. He was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at Bonanza Creek Ranch on Oct. 21, 2021, after a 911 call reporting injuries from a shooting on the set of the low-budget movie. Hutchins, the 42-year-old Ukraine native and a rising star in the film industry, died later that afternoon.
Twelve jurors and four alternates appeared riveted Thursday by the scenes captured by LeFleur’s lapel camera video, which played on monitors positioned throughout the courtroom — despite several technical glitches that at times interrupted the video.
Gutierrez, seated at the defendant’s table, watched the video stoically.
