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The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer for the film Rust, was satisfied with the manslaughter conviction of the film’s weapons supervisor in the incident where she was fatally shot by actor Alec Baldwin.
Last Wednesday, a jury convicted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie armorer, of being responsible for Hutchins’ death. This came after an assistant director, who had initially pleaded no contest to mishandling a firearm, faced charges.
In reaction to the decision, the family of the deceased filmmaker expressed their desire for all individuals responsible for Halyna’s death to be held responsible.
“Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process,” said Hutchins’ parents, Olga Solovey and Anatolli Androsovych, and her sister, Svetlana Zemko, in a statement issued through their attorney.
”
We are content with the fact that the jury, according to the evidence presented, determined that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is guilty of her involvement in the death of Halyna.
According to their lawyers, Gloria Allred and John Carpenter, they eagerly anticipate the legal system to hold all other individuals accountable for Halyna’s death and face appropriate repercussions for their roles.
As soon as the decision was announced in the court, the judge instructed for the 26-year-old weapon specialist to be taken into the care of deputies. Following the ruling, lead lawyer Jason Bowles stated that Gutierrez-Reed intends to challenge the guilty verdict, which could result in a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and a fine of $5,000.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of the state district court in Santa Fe has not yet determined a date for sentencing.
The main star and co-producer of Rust, Baldwin, was formally charged by a grand jury in January with involuntary manslaughter. During filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Baldwin was handling a gun pointed at Hutchins when it accidentally discharged, resulting in the death of the cinematographer and injuries to director Joel Souza. A trial has been set for July and Baldwin has entered a plea of not guilty.
In her final statements, attorney Kari Morrissey characterized the occurrences of “persistent, ongoing safety breaches” during the production of Rust. She also condemned Gutierrez-Reed for their “remarkable carelessness” in regards to handling firearms safely.
“We have come full circle in our quest for justice for Halyna Hutchins,” stated Ms Morrissey to the jury. “Hannah Gutierrez’s negligence in keeping the firearms safe was the cause of a preventable and predictable tragedy.”
The prosecution argued that the person responsible for maintaining weapons on set frequently disregarded or minimized standard safety procedures that could have identified the presence of live ammunition.
According to Ms. Morrissey, the game involved Russian roulette where actors would use guns loaded with dummies.
On Wednesday in the courtroom, Gutierrez-Reed’s mother expressed disappointment at the guilty verdict. She broke down in tears and swore as her daughter was taken away.
The defense team informed the jury that the issues on the film set were not solely the responsibility of Gutierrez-Reed. They pointed to Baldwin’s mishandling of weapons, referencing penalties and conclusions from state workplace safety officials.
The defense team also questioned the validity of the claims that Gutierrez-Reed brought live ammunition to the set, and stated that an ammunition supplier from Albuquerque was not thoroughly investigated.
Juror Alberto Sanchez stated that Gutierrez-Reed had the ability to halt the production in order to address safety concerns. The jurors ultimately determined that she had brought live ammunition onto the set, regardless of her knowledge, according to Mr. Sanchez’s comments following the dismissal of the jury.
Mr. Sanchez, who has made safety decisions in his work in Los Alamos, stated that the incident could have been prevented if the person responsible had performed all necessary safety checks, such as inspecting and removing rounds before use. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Further coverage provided by various agencies
Source: independent.co.uk
