(NewsNation) — The woman in charge of firearms on the set of the movie “Rust” received an 18-month prison sentence Monday for her part in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
A Santa Fe, New Mexico, judge issued the maximum possible sentence for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, whom a jury convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. The defense had asked for “conditional discharge,” a form of probation in New Mexico.
Hutchins died from a shot fired by a prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal. The gun held a live round instead of the blank Baldwin expected.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney called the shooting a “cascade of tragedy” that resulted from “multiple system failures by multiple people.”
Her hand in the up-and-coming cinematographer’s death made her “human,” not “a monster,” Gutierrez-Reed added, addressing the judge directly.
“I beg you, please don’t give me more time,” Gutierrez-Reed said.
However, several people, including the judge, accused the armorer of failing to take accountability.
“You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon.” the judge said. “But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive.”
In January, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge. His lawyers have been seeking to have the charges dismissed.
Movie industry and union rules have prohibited live ammunition on movie sets for decades. Prosecutors contended that Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly brought live rounds to the set and that she flouted basic weapon safety protocols.
“Eighteen months is shockingly low for involuntary manslaughter” compared to other states, according to criminal trial attorney Sara Azari.
Family and friends described Hutchins as a “joyful soul,” someone whose passion, creativity, kindness and generosity were felt deeply by the people around her.
Her legacy is one of a “poignant and purposeful” storyteller who was “luminous and endlessly curious,” her friends and family said.
Through tears, Hutchins’ relatives and closest friends considered what her future — and those of her 9-year-old son, her husband, and her family living in Ukraine — might have been.
“It is one thing to talk about how great she was and another thing to understand she is gone forever,” Hutchins’ sister said in a recorded statement that prosecutors played in court Monday.
