The armorer who loaded the gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust” was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a US court on Monday.
Hannah Gutierrez stood impassive as a judge in New Mexico told her she was not remorseful for the October 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins during filming of the budget Western.
Gutierrez’s 10-day trial for involuntary manslaughter had heard how despite being the person charged with handling on-set firearms, the 26-year-old had repeatedly failed to follow basic safety rules, leaving guns unattended and allowing actors — including Baldwin — to wave weapons around.
It also heard how she was responsible for the presence of six live rounds — a movie industry red line — and how she had loaded one of them into the Colt .45 that Baldwin was using.
The weapon discharged as the actor was preparing a scene inside a wooden church, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
The movie’s star Baldwin, who was also a producer, faces his own involuntary manslaughter trial in July. He denies the charge.
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If convicted, he too faces a possible 18 months in prison.
Dave Halls, the film’s safety coordinator and assistant director, who handed Baldwin the loaded gun, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors last year and was sentenced to six months’ probation.
The tragedy sent shock waves through Hollywood and led to calls for a complete ban on the use of weapons on movie sets.
Industry insiders, however, insisted that rules were already in place to prevent such incidents, and that those working on “Rust” had not followed them.
The filming of “Rust” was halted by Hutchins’ death, but completed last year on location in Montana.
The cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, who has already settled a wrongful death suit with “Rust” producers, served as an executive producer.
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