'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez files motion, calls shooting probe 'sloppy' and 'improper'
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor responsible for checking the prop firearm in the 'Rust' movie set which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, after being drawn by Alec Baldwin has requested the judge to dismiss her manslaughter charges. Her attorney has claimed that the prosecutors had no right to file involuntary manslaughter charges against her in the first place and that Gutierrez-Reed's due process rights were violated.
Her attorney filed a motion in Santa Fe County where Alec Baldwin also faced two counts of manslaughter charges. The attorney also claimed that the investigations into the incident were "sloppy" and "improper." Earlier the prosecutors dropped the manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin citing the need for further investigation.
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'That was no good. That was no good at all'
Hutchins was tragically killed when Baldwin practiced a gun drawing technique inside a church, pointing it at the cinematographer during a rehearsal of the Western movie set on 21 October 2021 in New Mexico. The gun had a live bullet in it which the armorer had allegedly failed to check before handing over the gun to Baldwin. “That was no good. That was no good at all,” these were the last words Hutchins cried out after getting fatally shot, according to a report by Los Angeles Times. In the incident, director Joel Souza was also injured.
'Rust' shooting was wrapped this week
Baldwin and the camera crew had been setting the angles for the shot when the gun fired. Both Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin were charged with involuntary manslaughter in January, both pleaded not guilty. Charges against Baldwin were dropped in April with prosecutors stating "new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis' in the case against the actor." The 'Rust' movie resumed shooting in Montana after charges were dropped and wrapped up this week with Baldwin celebrating it by shaving off his beard.
Baldwin alleges that the gun was cold
Baldwin had maintained he never pulled the trigger and that the gun was cold which indicated it had no live bullet inside. Gutierrez-Reed's motion as per Daily Mail alleges that the prosecution was "tainted by improper political motives." Moreover, the motion claims Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and the initial special prosecutor she appointed, Andrea Reeb, "both used the tragic film set accident that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins as an opportunity to advance their personal interests."
'They directed a sloppy investigation in which key evidence was destroyed'
"They directed a sloppy investigation in which key evidence was destroyed,' the motion filed by Gutierrez-Reed reportedly states. Adding, and "made overly aggressive charging decisions." The report says that the prosecutors are now investigating if the gun was intentionally modified. "The modification appears to be related to the notches on the internal portion of the hammer for full cock, half cock, and quarter cock positions,' prosecutors wrote in court documents filed this week as per the outlet.
Prosecutors are now asking to allow the transfer of the .45 Long Colt revolver, the ammunition, and other evidence collected from the film set to a ballistics expert for forensic testing. "It appears that these notches may have been partially removed or ground down so that they are less prominent," they wrote.