(NewsNation) — A jury found armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty of evidence tampering in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza injured, by what was thought to be a prop gun during a rehearsal on Oct. 21, 2021, in New Mexico.
Actor Alec Baldwin, who was holding the gun as it went off, was indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges as well and, like Gutierrez-Reed, pleaded not guilty.
She faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine with the conviction. A date for sentencing has not been set.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said Wednesday in closing arguments that Gutierrez-Reed’s negligence led to Hutchins' death. Morrissey pointed to live ammunition found on set to show that weapons were handled poorly as well as other mistakes she said were made on the film set.
“This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake, and that one mistake was accidentally putting a live round into that gun,” Morrissey said. “That’s not what this case is about. This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another.”
Defense lawyers have said, on the other hand, that widespread mistakes occurred at all levels of risk management and that Gutierrez-Reed is a victim of sabotage.
Gutierrez-Reed’s defense attorney Jason Bowles referenced in his closing arguments an Occupational Safety and Health Administration report showing there were various safety concerns and flaws on set.
He said Gutierrez-Reed could not have anticipated what Baldwin would do when he went off-script the day Hutchins was killed.
“Justice for Halyna does not mean injustice for Hannah,” Bowles said. “It does not mean they get to steamroll her and get to spin their version of facts and call it truth. Because that’s not truth.”
Baldwin's trial has been set for July, with jury selection beginning July 9. He faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
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