Alec Baldwin’s director of film armament could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison for shooting and killing Alec Baldwin’s cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “The Last.”
SANTA FE, N.M. — A film weapons supervisor was sentenced Monday in New Mexico to up to 18 months in prison for the shooting death of Alec Baldwin’s cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “The Last.” is scheduled to be sentenced in court.
Film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reid was found guilty by a jury in March of manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins and has been held in a county jail outside Santa Fe for more than a month.
Baldwin, lead actor and co-producer of “The Last,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins when his revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges, claiming he pulled the gun’s hammer but did not pull the trigger back before the gun went off. His trial is scheduled for July before Mary Marlow Sommer, the same judge who oversaw Gutierrez-Reed’s pursuit.
Gutierrez-Reed could also be fined $5,000.
Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unknowingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and of failing to follow basic gun safety procedures. After a two-week trial, the jury deliberated for about three hours before returning its verdict.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys asked for leniency in the sentence, including the possibility of conditional release to avoid further prison time and remove the conviction from his record if certain conditions are met.
Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence during the “Lust” investigation. She also pleaded not guilty to another felony charge in which she allegedly brought a gun into a bar in Santa Fe, where firearms are prohibited.
Defense attorneys emphasized Gutierrez-Reed’s relatively young age and the “devastating impact this felony charge will have on her future life.”
They say the 26-year-old has been forever adversely affected by the intense publicity associated with being charged alongside an A-list actor and suffers from anxiety, fear and depression as a result.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the judge that the defendant’s actions on the set of “The Last” were extremely reckless, and designated Gutierrez-Reed as a “serious violent offender” and ruled against subsequent reductions in his sentence. It called for the maximum penalty to be imposed to limit eligibility. He said Gutierrez-Reed showed a lack of remorse, citing his comments in a phone call from prison, which was monitored by authorities.
Last year, Lust’s assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls was sentenced to six months’ probation without supervision after pleading no contest to negligent handling of a firearm. “The Last” prop master Sarah Zachry, who shared responsibility for firearms on the set of “The Last,” entered into an agreement with prosecutors to avoid prosecution in return for her cooperation.
Written testimony supporting leniency also included a letter from Gutierrez-Reed’s childhood friend and lover, Sean Kridelbaugh, who said Gutierrez-Reed cried constantly due to remorse for the shooting. He said such incarceration would make it difficult for him to care for a relative with cancer. Other friends and former colleagues urged the judge to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment in sentencing.
The firearms charges against Gutierrez-Reed stem from an incident at a bar in downtown Santa Fe days before she was hired as an armorer for The Last. Prosecutors say the investigation into the shooting uncovered a selfie video of Gutierrez-Reed bringing a gun into the bar, while the defense argues the charges are retaliatory.
