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A jury found Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter after deliberating for two and a half hours on Wednesday (March 6). The jury found her not guilty of tampering with evidence for allegedly handing off a bag of cocaine to somebody else on set.
Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of the firearms and ammunition on the set of the film. In 2021, the film's director, Halyna Hutchins, was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin while he was rehearsing a scene inside the church.
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Gutierrez-Reed as "sloppy" and "unprofessional," citing instances of drug and alcohol use and improper handling of firearms and ammunition.
"We believe that it was the negligent acts and failures of the defendant ... that contributed to Ms. Hutchins' death," special prosecutor Jason Lewis said during his opening statements.
Gutierrez-Reed's attorney placed the blame for Hutchins' death on Baldwin, who is also facing trial for involuntary manslaughter.
"I submit to you what caused her death is Mr. Baldwin going off script. No one ever knew there would be a live round on set. The only act is the pointing of the weapon. Ms Gutierrez didn't point that weapon," attorney Jason Bowles said.
Gutierrez-Reed was remanded into custody after the verdict was read. She faces up to three years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.