Lawyers for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the “Rust” armorer convicted in the on-set death of Halyna Hutchins, are pushing for her release from prison in wake of Alec Baldwin’s recent case dismissal.
Gutierrez-Reed’s legal team made the request in a new motion filed in Santa Fe First Judicial District Court on Tuesday. They demanded her “conviction be overturned immediately,” citing the “egregious prosecutorial misconduct” revealed during Baldwin’s trial.
“This court stated on July 12 that the integrity of the judicial system demanded that the court dismiss Mr. Baldwin’s case with prejudice,” said defense attorney Jason Bowles in the new court filing. “How can it be any different with Ms. Gutierrez-Reed’s case, with this proven litany of serious discovery abuses?”
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, in a surprise move, tossed an involuntary manslaughter charge brought against 66-year-old Baldwin on Friday. She concluded special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey had suppressed evidence pertaining to live ammunition in connection with the fatal shooting, which unfolded on the set of “Rust” the afternoon of on Oct. 21, 2021.
Baldwin at the time was rehearsing a scene inside the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe — practicing a move in which he whips a pistol from its holster — when his firearm suddenly went off. Hutchins, a cinematographer for the western film, was fatally struck while director Joel Souza was wounded.
Gutierrez-Reed, tasked with overseeing weapons on set, was found guilty in March of involuntary manslaughter and ordered to spend 18 months in prison. Her legal team has already appealed the ruling.
“The repeated discovery failures are certainly beneath what Ms. Gutierrez-Reed deserved,” the filing reads. “And for her, the impact has been devastating.”
With News Wire Services
