Rust: Prosecutors believe the gunsmith was hungover the day of the shooting | tomatoes

The investigation into the death of the photographer Halyna Hutchins continues just under two years since his death during the filming of the film Rust. The latest revelation comes from prosecutors handling the case who have responded to Hannah Gutierrez-Reedthe gunsmith of the production, who have witnesses that she was probably raw on the day of the events.

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In accordance with Deadline, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewisthe special prosecutors New Mexico put in charge of the case, responded to a request from the legal team of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to dismiss the manslaughter charge against him. In the files, the authorities say they have witnesses willing to testify that she “drank considerably and smoked marijuana during the afternoons of the filming of Rust”. Here is his version of events:

Ms. Gutierrez is being properly prosecuted because her primary role as a gunsmith on the set of the movie Rust was to maintain gun safety. Her neglect resulted in the death of another human being. All the defendant had to do was shake each bullet and make sure it sounded. [indicando que era una ronda vacía] before putting it in the gun. But she failed to do so and killed a person.

As you know, Hutchins died after being shot while rehearsing a scene. The impact also injured the director of the film Joel Souza. As far as is known, the revolver that caused the death of the photographer was in the hands of the actor and protagonist Alec Baldwin. He claims that he never pulled the trigger and had also previously been indicted on a manslaughter charge.

However, a couple of weeks ago it was confirmed that prosecutors were going to drop the charges against Baldwin. This led the defense of the gunsmith to request that, in a similar way, theirs be dismissed. Although the authorities hope to prove that she had a hangover and that prevented her from properly securing the ammunition, but the defendant’s lawyers believe that it is a move to discredit her in the press to bias the public and upcoming juries towards her version.

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The difference is that, at the moment, there are no results on whether the weapon had a malfunction on the day of the shot and, therefore, Baldwin has no responsibility. But in their response to the motion, prosecutors believe that if the investigation turns up no problem with the gun, the actor will be charged. They expect this to be determined in the next two months.

Until now, and since Hutchins’ death in October 2021, only the assistant director, david halls, has been sentenced for the facts. He reached a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to one count of misuse of a firearm; he is cooperating with the investigation, and received six months probation for it. The film is currently in post-production.

Continue reading: Rust: Alec Baldwin resumes filming and prepares documentary on the accidental death of Halyna Hutchins