Hannah Gutierrez, 'Rust' western movie armorer, released from prison

Hannah Gutierrez, the weapons handler successful the ill-fated Alec Baldwin occidental movie “Rust,” has been released from situation aft serving 14 months for her condemnation past twelvemonth of involuntary manslaughter.

Gutierrez was released Friday from a New Mexico women’s situation aft completing her condemnation successful the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins successful October 2021.

Gutierrez was 1 of 3 radical charged successful Hutchins’ decease connected the movie acceptable southbound of Santa Fe, N.M., but the lone 1 who received a felony conviction. A assemblage recovered her blameworthy of involuntary manslaughter successful Hutchins’ decease pursuing a melodramatic two-week proceedings past twelvemonth successful Santa Fe.

New Mexico prosecutors faulted the Arizona pistillate for reckless handling of firearms and ammunition successful usurpation of weapon information rules.

The peculiar authoritative besides argued that Gutierrez had unwittingly brought the unrecorded bullets with her to the fashionable occidental movie location, Bonanza Creek Ranch, and mingled them with inert “dummy” bullets utilized connected movie sets.

Gutierrez has denied that allegation. There was nary conclusive grounds presented astir the origins of the unrecorded bullets.

Actor Alec Baldwin during his 2024 proceedings successful Santa Fe for his relation successful the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

(Ramsay de Give / Associated Press)

Baldwin, who pointed the weapon astatine Hutchins during a rehearsal, besides was charged. He pleaded not blameworthy to involuntary manslaughter for the shooting that killed the 42-year-old cinematographer, a rising prima successful the industry, and wounded the film’s director, Joel Souza.

The New Mexico justice overseeing the “Rust” transgression prosecutions, New Mexico 1st Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, dismissed the complaint against Baldwin 3 days into his high-profile proceedings past July.

Marlowe Sommer recovered the authoritative and Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies had concealed grounds from Baldwin’s ineligible team, which the justice said prejudiced the lawsuit against Baldwin. At the time, the actor-producer’s squad was exploring whether prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies botched the probe into however the bullets made their mode onto the set.

Assistant manager David Halls was besides charged successful the shooting.

Halls pleaded nary contention to negligent usage of a deadly limb and received a suspended six-month sentence, which ended successful October 2023. Halls, who has since retired from the industry, agreed to wage a $500 fine, enactment successful a firearms information class, refrain from taking drugs oregon intoxicant and implicit 24 hours of assemblage service.

Gutierrez had received the maximum condemnation for her role.

She was released connected parole. She besides is being supervised nether presumption of probation aft pleading blameworthy to a abstracted complaint of unlawfully carrying a weapon into a Santa Fe barroom that prohibited firearms a fewer days earlier the fatal shooting, according to the Associated Press.

Terms of her parole see intelligence wellness assessments and a prohibition connected firearms possession.

Gutierrez, done her attorney, declined an interrogation petition Sunday.

“When I took connected ‘Rust,’ I was young and I was naive but I took my occupation arsenic earnestly arsenic I knew however to,” Gutierrez told the justice during her April 2024 sentencing hearing.

Marlowe Sommer, who besides presided implicit the armorer’s case, gave Gutierrez the maximum sentence, saying: “You were the armorer, the 1 that stood betwixt a harmless limb and a limb that could termination someone. .. You unsocial turned a harmless limb into a lethal weapon.”

With Gutierrez’s release, the transgression signifier of the “Rust” saga has concluded.

Several civilian lawsuits against Baldwin and the producers, including from Hutchins’ household members, stay unresolved.

Baldwin and different actors and unit members finished filming successful Montana, 18 months aft the fatal shooting successful New Mexico. The movie was yet released successful the U.S. this period connected conscionable a fistful of screens.

The October 2021 shooting shined a harsh airy connected movie acceptable safety, peculiarly connected low-budget productions.

“Rust” was racked with problems, including allegations of information rules and hiring inexperienced unit members specified arsenic Gutierrez. “Rust” was conscionable her 2nd occupation arsenic caput armorer. She besides was tasked with the occupation of prop assistant.

Hours earlier the fatal shooting, “Rust” camera unit members had walked disconnected the occupation to protestation information concerns and a deficiency of lodging adjacent the film’s set. Crew members complained astir earlier accidental weapon discharges.

Gutierrez is the stepdaughter of well-known Hollywood armorer Thell Reed.