Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after she loaded a gun for actor Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust in 2021 which fired and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The movie set weapons handler was found not guilty of a second charge, tampering with evidence, and now faces up to three years in prison.
"This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being," prosecutor Kari T Morrissey said during closing arguments on Wednesday.
© PoolThe armorer had allegedly failed to notice that live bullets had been mixed in with dummy rounds in a box of ammunition on set, and Ms Morrisey accused her of being "negligent", "careless" and "thoughtless".
Prosecutors had also claimed that they had evidence that the 26-year-old had brought a box of live bullets to the New Mexico film set from her own home in California, which spread through the set and into the dummy boxes, although Ms Morrissey told the jury she did not believe it was intentional and therefore the death was tragic negligence.
© Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin after he fired a prop gun that had not been properly checkedAlec has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter and his trial is set to begin later in 2024.
Halyna was killed on the set of Rust in October 2021 after Alec fired a prop gun that had not been properly checked. The actor was on set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe filming Rust when the gun was discharged.
Director Joel Souza was also injured.
© RexThe Sheriff’s office said in a statement that cinematographer Halyna and director Joel "were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor."
Halyna, 42, was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she later passed away. Joel, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries. Halyna's death was confirmed by the Sheriff’s office and by the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600.
© Neilson BarnardInitial charges against Alec were dropped in early 2023 but after the gun was sent for further testing with two experts reconstructing the gun – which was broken during FBI testing – they concluded that it could only have been fired by a pull of the trigger.
"This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger,” the report concluded.
"Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver."
The film also stars Supernatural's Jensen Ackles. Alec plays infamous outlaw Rust, whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder. As Rust breaks his grandson out of prison, an unexpected bond forms between the outlaw and his estranged grandson as a U.S. Marshal and bounty hunter follow the pair's tail.
