The final hearings in the criminal case of the murder of the cameraman of the film “Rust” Galina Hutchins were held in the state of New Mexico.
According to Deadline, 12 jurors, who deliberated for several hours, reached a verdict against the film's prop maker Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, whose trial lasted two weeks.
During his closing speech, lawyer Jason Bowles noted that they were trying to make a “scapegoat” out of his client.
“It is imperative that the authorities rule out any reasonable doubt because that is the standard in our country.
Hannah was appointed as a scapegoat for all the management’s mistakes,” the publication quotes the lawyer as saying.
“There is reasonable doubt that she ultimately had anything to do with Hutchins’ death.”
In this country, we cannot make decisions and sentence people based on guesswork.
This is not enough".
However, according to the decision of the jury, Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of manslaughter of a cinematographer, since she allowed live cartridges, instead of the required prop ones, to fall onto the set and was negligent in her duties.
At the same time, the assessors concluded that the defendant did not falsify evidence in order to prevent her own arrest by the police.
For unintentional causing of death, according to the verdict, Gutierrez-Reed faces imprisonment for a period of 18 months.
Prosecutor Carey Morrissey said the jury had every reason to convict Gutierrez-Reed because the prosecution had enough evidence to prove her guilt.
“You have everything you need to convict her.
Her actions led to the death of Galina Hutchins.
It’s her job to tell the A-list actor, if you prefer to call him that: “You can’t handle this firearm like that!” the prosecutor noted.
“She was negligent, negligent and careless.”
According to The New York Times, after the incident, police found six live rounds of ammunition on the set.
After the verdict was announced, the convict was immediately taken into custody.
The defense expressed disagreement with the verdict and noted that it would appeal.
Bowles cited the Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health, which classified the tragedy as an accident.
At the same time, according to the lawyer, Alec Baldwin, the leading actor and producer of the indie western, went beyond the script during filming.
The lawyer argued his position by saying that responsibility for the incident lies, first of all, with the project management.
In turn, Prosecutor Morrissey emphasized that an additional trial will be held against the artist, scheduled for July 9, 2024.
“I’m not saying that he behaved correctly, because I was the one who brought charges against him.
Alec Baldwin will have to answer for his actions and careless handling of a weapon that day in the church.
(But. -
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) not here and not today, another jury will deal with this at another time,” Deadline quotes her as saying.
A friend of the deceased who was present at the hearing, working on a documentary about the filmmaker’s life, told Variety that she still experiences a sense of loss, and imprisoning Gutierrez-Reed will not change anything.
The tragedy that claimed the life of Galina Hutchins occurred in October 2021.
Alec Baldwin fired the shot on the set of Rust.
Filming of the film was suspended to clarify the circumstances.
In November 2021, more than 200 filmmakers signed an open letter calling for a ban on the use of work firearms on film sets.
“We vow to no longer work on projects that use functional firearms for cinematic purposes.
We vow to no longer expose ourselves and our film crew to unnecessary mortal danger.
We have safe alternatives in the form of visual effects and non-functional weapons,” Variety quotes an excerpt from the open letter.
In April 2022, the New Mexico Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health, which investigated the case, concluded that employers at the site "made serious organizational errors" that, if avoided, could have prevented Hutchins' death and the injury of director Joel Souza.
A year after the tragedy, in October 2022, as a result of a settlement agreement reached between the production company and Baldwin with the Hutchins family, it was decided to resume filming in January 2023.
However, the state district attorney's office emphasized that a peaceful settlement of the issue between the parties will not affect the course of the proceedings.
After a lengthy investigation into the case, in January 2023, Alec Baldwin and prop man Gutierrez-Reid were charged with manslaughter.
However, already in April they were removed from the actor.
In June, the gunsmith was charged with falsifying evidence.
Baldwin was again charged in January 2024.