The trial once morest the props manager in the film “Rust” for the fatal shooting recorded on the set of the feature film starring actor Alec Baldwin begins this Wednesday, February 21, with the selection of the jury in the case in a United States court.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of handling the weapons in that cowboy film, is accused of involuntary manslaughter for the death of the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, during an action rehearsal with Baldwin on a set at the Bonanza Ranch Creek, in the state of New Mexico.
The 26-year-old prop girl pleaded not guilty in the case that shocked Hollywood.
The incident also sparked a series of lawsuits once morest Baldwin and the film’s producers.
According to testimonies, on October 21, 2021, Gutierrez-Reed handed a Colt .45 revolver to production assistant David Halls, who gave it to Alec Baldwin to rehearse a scene with Hutchins and other members of the crew.
The gun ended up being fired and the shot hit Hutchins and slightly injured the film’s director, Joel Souza.
Hutchins was rushed to a hospital, but eventually died.
If found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Gutierrez-Reed might receive a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.
During the trial, which should last regarding two weeks, the Prosecutor’s Office plans to argue that there was negligence on the part of Gutierrez-Reed, who would have failed to use live bullets on the set, in addition to consuming illicit drugs and alcohol, which left under the effects of a hangover on the day of the incident.
His defense, however, considers that Hutchins’ death was the product of errors made under continuous pressure to produce a feature film framed by a limited budget.
Gutierrez-Reed is also charged with tampering with evidence for allegedly attempting to dispose of drugs during investigations.
No date for Baldwin
Baldwin, who was carrying a Colt .45 at the time of the incident, was charged in 2023 with involuntary manslaughter, but the Prosecutor’s Office dropped the charges last April arguing that “new facts” had emerged that demanded “further investigation and forensic analysis.”
In January, following a grand jury concluded there was probable cause once morest him, he was indicted once more on the same charge.
Baldwin, director and producer of the film, reiterated that he did not activate the weapon and that security on the set in this type of matter should be the responsibility of the professionals hired for it and not the actors.
If found guilty, Baldwin might also face up to 18 months in prison. Baldwin is free on bail.
The start date of his trial has not yet been defined.
So far, the only person who has been sentenced in the case was David Halls, the first production assistant, who did not appeal once morest the charge of negligent handling of a firearm, and received a sentence of six months of probation in the 2023.
After a pause due to tragedy, the filming of Rust concluded 2023 in Montana under the reins of Joel Souza, and with Matthew Hutchins, the director of photography’s widower, as executive producer. The director said at the time that the film’s culmination was “bittersweet” but that the cast and crew were “committed” to completing what he and Halyna had started.
window.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function() {
/*(function($) {*/
(function (d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s);
js.id = id;
js.src = document.location.protocol + “//connect.facebook.net/es_LA/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
/*})(jQuery);*/
});
#Trial #begins #props #manager #film #Rust #fatal #shooting #set
