‘Rust’ Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Scores A Major Legal Win

The 27-year-old armorer and actor Alec Baldwin were charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film in October 2021.

In March, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty and sentenced to the state maximum of 18 months behind bars. Although her legal team filed an appeal, Alec Baldwin’s trial put a new twist on the case.

On the second day of his trial, a crime scene technician testified that there was evidence that law enforcement officials did not turn over to the defense. In a shocking twist, it turns out lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey also knew about the evidence and had been involved in a discussion to file ammunition under a different case number separate from other “Rust” evidence.

The admission prompted prosecutor Erlinda Johnson to resign on the third day of the trial. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer concluded that the misconduct committed was so severe that the only remedy was to dismiss the charges against Baldwin with prejudice, meaning that he can no longer face criminal charges for his role in Halyna Hutchins’ death. However, he is still involved in several civil lawsuits along with other “Rust” producers.

Fortunately for the incarcerated armorer, there has been a new development in her attempt to get her charges thrown out. After the misconduct of the prosecution came to light, her attorney Jason Bowles filed for the right to get the 27-year-old armorer a new trial. Kari Morrissey was also the lead prosecutor in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, although Erlinda Johnson was not involved.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals has decided to grant a motion allowing the First Judicial District Court to rule on her request for a new trial, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

The week after Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed with prejudice, her legal team filed a motion asking the court to throw out her involuntary manslaughter conviction and hold a new trial, arguing that the misconduct by the prosecution could have led them to burying evidence in her case as well.

On October 21, 2021, the cast and crew were returning from a lunch break on the set of the Western film and preparing to film a scene inside a church. When Alec Baldwin removed his gun from his holster for a scene, the gun went off, fatally wounding cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and hospitalizing director Joel Souza. Baldwin has insisted he did not pull the trigger.

It is still unclear how live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film. During her trial, prosecutors argued that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was “sloppy” in her role as an armorer and put a real bullet into the firearm instead of a dummy round. The defense has argued that Seth Kenney, a props supplier in Albuquerque, was the one who mixed live ammunition with dummy rounds, which led to the fatal accident. However, he was never charged.

As The Blast previously reported, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s family is anxious to see her released from prison. Her father, veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, 81, feels that she was used as a “scapegoat” in the case and that law enforcement should have done more to find out where the live ammunition actually came from.

Thell told The Daily Mail that it was a “good” thing that Alec Baldwin’s case was dismissed, and now feels that “Hannah’s case should also be dismissed” based on the misconduct discovered during the actor’s trial.

“There’s a lot of evidence that hasn’t been heard at all,” Thell alleged. “They [the prosecution] suppressed all the important evidence and I guess [Baldwin’s] attorneys brought it out.” Thell went on to say that the misconduct “should” be grounds for an appeal, adding, “She didn’t do anything wrong. They’ve absolutely made her a scapegoat.”

A few hours after the trial ended, Erlinda Johnson spoke to Chris Cuomo and explained why she decided to resign from Alec Baldwin’s trial after the misconduct was brought to light.

“We have an obligation as prosecutors, we have an obligation not only to the people, but to the defendant and our obligation is to make sure that all the evidence is turned over,” she explained during her NewsNation interview. “We don’t get to decide what the defense is going to be. Our job is to ensure transparency and to ensure that the defendant has everything that the prosecution has gathered. What they do with it, that’s up to them.”

It remains to be seen if Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s motion for a new trial is granted.