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Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film’s New Mexico set.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers had previously attempted to have the charges against their client dismissed; however, at Thursday’s hearing, the judge found that prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to charge Gutierrez-Reed, who entered the written plea of not guilty, setting the stage for a December 2023 trial.
In June, prosecutors argued in support of chargingGutierrez-Reed, alleging that she “heavily” drank alcohol and smoked marijuana the night before a prop gun on the film set was discharged. Santa Fe prosecutors also detailed why they believe Gutierrez-Reed should face charges, even as others have eitherreached plea dealsor hadthe charges dropped.
Alec Baldwin, who was holding the firearm that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, had the charges against himdroppedin April, while assistant director Dave Halls alsoentered a plea of no contestto a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, but won’t face prison time.
“Ms. Gutierrez is not being selectively prosecuted. She is being appropriately prosecuted because her primary function as an armorer on theRustmovie set was to ensure gun safety,” prosecutors said in June. “Her reckless failure resulted in the senseless death of another human being.All Defendant Gutierrez needed to do was shake every bullet and make sure it rattled before putting it in the gun — she failed and killed someone.”
Gutierrez Reed remains free on bail pending trial with several conditions, including she may not possess firearms, consume alcohol, or return to the location of the alleged incident.
“Ms. Gutierrez has pled not guilty to all charges and is preparing for her day in court,” her attorney Jason Bowles said in a statement to People. “She looks forward to her day in court, and to having the conduct of everyone on set fully examined.”
