‘Rust’ Armorer Loses Bid for New Trial Over Withheld Evidence

As a seasoned legal observer with years of courtroom drama under my belt, I find myself deeply saddened by the continued fallout from the tragic accident on the set of “Rust.” Hannah Gutierrez Reed, a young woman with a promising career ahead of her, is now serving an 18-month sentence for a heartbreaking and unfortunate incident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins.


On Monday, the judge affirmed the conviction against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer from “Rust”, stating that any withheld evidence wouldn’t have altered the verdict in the trial.

I, as a supporter of the defense, am advocating for a retrial based on the premise that the prosecution neglected to share crucial evidence: a forensic report and an interview with the arms supplier, Seth Kenney. This omission in due process calls for a fair and impartial reexamination of the case.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stated in her decision that the Defendant failed to prove that if they had access to the missing evidence, it would have led to a different outcome in the trial.

Gutierrez Reed is currently serving an 18-month prison term for the unintentional killing of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. During the trial held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in February, the prosecution alleged that she had been careless with firearms on set and failed to identify a live bullet before placing it in Alec Baldwin’s weapon.

During rehearsal for a movie scene, a firearm accidentally went off, leading to Hutchins’ death and injuring director Joel Souza. Later, Baldwin was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, but these charges were dropped halfway through the trial in July, as it was revealed that the prosecution had neglected to present a box of ammunition as evidence.

The legal team of Gutierrez Reed believed a similar argument could work in their case. They claimed that prosecutor Kari Morrissey exhibited the same negligence concerning her duties in sharing evidence during the Gutierrez Reed trial. Specifically, they pointed out that she neglected to reveal an expert’s report detailing “mysterious markings” on Baldwin’s firearm.

However, the judge pointed out that the expert determined that the toolmarks didn’t impact the functioning of the firearm in any way, implying they wouldn’t have altered the court’s decision.

The judge concurred with the prosecution’s argument that Kenney’s interview mirrored other statements he provided previously. Additionally, Marlowe Sommer decided that the ammunition which sealed Baldwin’s case had been accessible to Gutierrez Reed, implying that she was not eligible for a retrial.

Gutierrez Reed continues to work on an appeal based on several different reasons, one of which is the contention that the instructions given to the jury were flawed.

In the meantime, Morrissey aims to reopen Baldwin’s case, claiming that the judge was led astray by the defense, causing him to think that the hidden bullets had some bearing on the case at hand.

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2024-09-30 19:46