“Rust” Armorer Seeks Dismissal After Baldwin Charges Dropped

The armorer on Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust” has filed to overturn her conviction for involuntary manslaughter. This filing comes shortly after the collapse of Baldwin’s own trial due to allegedly withheld evidence.

Baldwin was holding a revolver during a rehearsal for the low-budget Western in October 2021 when a live round was fired, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring the film’s director.

Hannah Gutierrez, acting as the film’s armorer, was responsible for providing dummy and blank rounds to the movie set. She accidentally loaded the fatal gun with a live round—a mystery that remains unsolved. Gutierrez was sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this year.

During Baldwin’s separate trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last week, it was revealed that police and prosecutors had suppressed important evidence that could have clarified how live rounds ended up on set.

Bullets that were handed to law enforcement earlier this year by a former police officer, which seemed to match the round that killed Hutchins, were never examined by the lead detective or shown to defense lawyers. As a result, their origins remain undiscovered.

Due to the “intentional and deliberate” withholding of evidence, Baldwin’s case was immediately dismissed by the judge, who described the evidence suppression as “highly prejudicial to the defendant.”

Hannah Gutierrez Reed was already appealing her conviction before Baldwin’s trial began. Her lawyers have now filed an expedited motion seeking a new trial or dismissal of charges, citing “severe and ongoing discovery violations by the state.”

The motion alleges that prosecutor Kari Morrissey “lied to this court several times” and was involved in the decision to hide the rounds.

Furthermore, it claims that Morrissey withheld additional evidence relevant to Gutierrez’s case until after her trial, including an interview with a prop weapons supplier and reports by state firearms experts.

The motion asserts, “The intentional withholding of crucial evidence … has compromised the integrity of the entire judicial process.”

“Justice demands that Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s conviction be overturned immediately,” the motion concludes.