Benjamin Ashford|Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter

Three years after the fatal shooting on Benjamin Ashfordset of the movie Rust, the jury has reached a verdict on one of those involved.

The film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty of tampering with evidence by a New Mexico jury on March 6, per a court filing obtained by E! News. 

The jury deliberated for two-and-a-half hours over the decision, and with the guilty verdict, the 26-year-old faces up to three years in state prison. Following her court proceedings, Gutierrez-Reed was taken back into police custody to await her sentencing, which will happen at a later date. 

Gutierrez-Reed's nearly two-week criminal trial took place after actor Alec Baldwin held a prop gun that fired a live round of ammunition while on the set of the film Rust back in 2021. The bullet that was fired injured the movie's director Joel Souza and killed the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Gutierrez-Reed, who loaded the gun used by Baldwin on set, plead not guilty to her charges over the incident. In addition, Baldwin—who has insisted he was not the one to pull the gun's trigger—plead not guilty to his own charges related to the killing back in January and will face trial in July. 

During the trial's closing statements, prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey called Gutierrez-Reed's failure to ensure there were no live rounds in the gun "negligent" and "careless," per NBC News. 

Morrissey also added that following the events on the Rust set, the armorer was "more worried about her career" than the victims.

In response, defense attorney Jason Bowles argued that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for bringing the live ammunition onto the film's set and alleged that Baldwin should, instead, be held accountable for Hutchins' death. 

"No one ever knew there would be a live round on set," Bowles said in court, per NBC News. "The only act is the pointing of the weapon. Ms Gutierrez didn't point that weapon."

E! News has reached out to Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers for comment but has not heard back. 

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