2024-02-21 21:56:25
– Trial of the gunsmith from the film “Rust” begins
Justice will try to determine the responsibility of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, responsible for managing weapons in the film “Rust”.
Published: 02/21/2024, 10:56 p.m.
The first arguments are not expected before Thursday in the New Mexico court which is examining this case.
AFP
How did a real bullet end up in a gun held by Alec Baldwin on the set of the western “Rust” and kill his cinematographer? This is the whole question of the trial of the film’s armorer which began on Wednesday.
During two weeks of hearings, American justice will try to determine the responsibility of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, responsible for managing the weapons on this production. Like Alec Baldwin, who must be tried later, this 26-year-old gunsmith is being prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter, a crime punishable by 18 months of imprisonment.
The trial began Wednesday in Santa Fe with the jury selection process. The first arguments are not expected before Thursday in the New Mexico court which is examining this case.
Shock in Hollywood
The filming of “Rust” turned into drama in October 2021 on a ranch in this state in the southwest of the United States. Alec Baldwin had aimed a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but a very real projectile had killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
This rare news item shocked Hollywood and provoked calls to ban firearms on sets. In this case, New Mexico prosecutors plan to charge Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with negligence, which might have led her to introduce live ammunition onto the set.
According to the prosecution, the gunsmith consumed cocaine, cannabis and alcohol outside of her working hours, and was probably hungover on the day of the tragedy.
Falsification
Prosecutors highlight in particular text messages where she talks regarding her drug use. But no toxicological analysis took place during the investigation, marked by numerous weaknesses and twists and turns.
“They want the jury to assume that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ingested cocaine at some point before going to work on October 21, 2021,” her lawyer Todd Bullion said last week, adding: “They don’t have no proof that this actually happened.
The gunsmith is also being prosecuted for tampering with evidence, as she is suspected of having given a bag of cocaine to a member of the filming to prevent investigators from finding it. His defense plans to plead the thesis of an accident occurring because of the pressure exerted by the production of the film, which was to be shot in just 21 days on a relatively modest budget of 7 million dollars (6.15 million francs) .
New expertise
The armorer had notably requested additional days to allow Alec Baldwin to train in handling weapons, but this request was rejected.
“Rust” star Alec Baldwin also served as a producer on the film. The 65-year-old actor denies pulling the trigger and has always maintained that he was assured his weapon was harmless. The involuntary manslaughter charges once morest him were first lifted last April, following new investigative elements might support the theory of an inadvertent shooting.
But he was charged once more in January. Because according to Variety magazine, a new assessment of the weapon in question, carried out this summer, concluded that it might only have been triggered by pressing the trigger. The date of her trial, separate from that of the gunsmith, has not yet been set.
Did you find an error? Please report it to us.
0 comments
1708565770
#Fatal #shooting #Trial #gunsmith #film #Rust #begins
