Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer from the film “Rust,” has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge for bringing a gun into a bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As part of the plea deal, she will serve 18 months of probation.
The 27-year-old is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter related to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. This new plea does not change her existing sentence.
Gutierrez Reed faced the possibility of an additional 18 months in prison for the bar incident, but she will instead complete her probation in Arizona, where she resides.
In March, a Santa Fe jury found Gutierrez Reed guilty of negligently loading a live bullet into a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin, which discharged and resulted in Hutchins’ death. Baldwin’s manslaughter charges were dismissed in July after a judge determined that prosecutors had withheld evidence from the defense. Gutierrez Reed’s legal team is seeking to have her manslaughter conviction overturned on similar grounds.
The charge of bringing a gun into the Matador bar on October 1, 2021, was filed while her manslaughter case was still pending. Gutierrez Reed’s defense claims this charge was intended to pressure her into accepting responsibility for bringing live ammunition onto the “Rust” set, which she denies.
A hearing was scheduled for Thursday to discuss a defense motion to dismiss the gun charge, arguing that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey lacked the authority to bring it, as it was unrelated to the “Rust” shooting. The defense also contended that the charge was vindictive, stemming from her refusal to accept a plea deal in the manslaughter case, and that it resulted from an excessive search of her phone.
That hearing has been canceled, and the defense has requested a new hearing within the next week for Gutierrez Reed to enter her plea.
Additionally, a separate hearing is set for September 26 regarding Gutierrez Reed’s motion for a new trial in the manslaughter case. Her attorneys have accused Morrissey of failing to disclose crucial evidence that could have influenced the trial’s outcome. They have also requested her release from prison while awaiting the new trial.
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