Convicted 'Rust' armorer asks for new trial after Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case dismissed
Hannah Gutierrez Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison in March on an involuntary manslaughter charge
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hannah Gutierrez Reed filed an expedited motion Tuesday for a new trial, or to dismiss her case, following the shocking dismissal of Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter charge last week.
"Following the Baldwin trial and the dismissal with prejudice, Ms. Gutierrez-Reed intends to file an expedited motion for new trial or for dismissal for discovery violations and under the court's inherent power," documents said.
Her lawyers argued that "Baldwin's trial exposes extreme misconduct," and stated that "Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey lies to this court under oath."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
JUDGE DISMISSES ALEC BALDWIN'S INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CASE IN STUNNING VICTORY FOR ACTOR
"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed received 18 month sentence, the maximum amount for involuntary manslaughter charge. (Courtesy: New Mexico Courts)
The armorer was responsible for the gun that discharged a live bullet on the Western film set. Hutchins was in the line of fire when actor Alec Baldwin pulled the gun out of his holster on Oct. 21, 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}‘RUST’ ARMORER CHALLENGES INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CONVICTION, REQUESTS NEW TRIAL
Gutierrez Reed was also found not guilty of evidence tampering, a charge she received in 2023 after investigators accused her of passing off a bag of cocaine on the day of the fatal set shooting.
A Santa Fe judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin Friday, July 12, after ruling that the prosecution concealed evidence from his legal team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hannah Guiterrez Reed was remanded following her conviction, and is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence. (Courtesy: Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility/Getty Images)
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charge cannot be brought against the actor again.
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"The state's willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate," Sommer said. "If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The judge added: "There is no way for the court to right this wrong."
Alec Baldwin cried in court after his involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed. (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP)
Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust." (Pool Video via AP)
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In Hannah's request for a new trial, her legal team noted it was "the same prosecutor and same sheriff's office that handled the Gutierrez Reed case."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Additional testimony made during Baldwin's trial was "new and different and would have been critical to cross examination" of PDQ Props owner Seth Kenney, documents stated. The defense also became aware of "another possible 900 or so pages of material" related to state witnesses that had not been disclosed to the defense, but had been provided to Baldwin's legal team.
Guiterrez Reed previously requested a new trial in March. During her trial, the prosecution largely focused on Gutierrez Reed's behavior as an armorer, claiming she didn't do her job correctly.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed listened to the verdict being read in her involuntary manslaughter case. (Courtesy: New Mexico Courts)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, her attorney, Jason Bowles, claimed there were factors outside of Gutierrez Reed's control that occurred on set, leading to the fatal shooting.
"Whoever put the live round on set and then Mr. Baldwin, in the end, going off script and doing what he did," the lawyer said. "Those are outside events outside of Ms. Gutierrez Reed's control that she didn't know was going to happen."