A little over a month after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Rust armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The sentencing comes less than three years after Hutchins was killed on the western film’s set, which was located at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonzana City, New Mexico.
On Oct. 21, 2021, the star and producer of Rust, Alec Baldwin, had been working with a prop gun on the set without knowing it was loaded. According to a statement that was given to TheWrap, the gun was among the weapons previously used by crew members earlier in the day to shoot at beer cans with live ammunition. After lunch, the prop guns were returned.
However, Gutierrez-Reed reportedly did not check the guns to make sure they didn’t have live ammunition before bringing them back on the set. While holding the gun, Baldwin claimed the weapon went off. The bullet killed Hutchins and wounded the Rust director, Joel Souza.
Judge States ‘Rust’ Armorer Turned a Safe Weapon Into a Lethal Weapon
While at the sentencing, Judge Mary Marlowe directly spoke to Gutierrez-Reed about her actions during the shooting. “I did not hear you take accountability in your allocution,” she stated, per CNN. “You said you were sorry, but not [that] you were sorry for what you did.”
The judge continued by pointing out that Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the weapons on the Rust set. “You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother.”
Prosecutors had asked Guiterrez-Reed to be sentenced to the maximum prison time. They cited a “complete and total failure to accept responsibility for her actions” as the reasoning.
The defense had originally asked for the Rust armorer to not have jail time. That team proposed she be released on probation and argued she had no prior criminal history. She also had a “record of prior good works and positive things.”
Guiterrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, stated his team is planning to appeal.
Just before sentencing, Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, released a statement. “The day of her death ruined my entire life,” she stated in a video. “It’s heart-wrenching to see her child grow without his mother.”
Souza also stated he has experienced physical and emotional pain since the shooting. “One day the world made sense, and the next day it didn’t,” the Rust director said. “And it still doesn’t, and I’m not sure it ever will again.”
Meanwhile, Baldwin has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter for his actions on the Rust set. He is due in court this summer. The actor has pleaded not guilty and maintains he did not pull the gun’s trigger.