“We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions,” said a Wednesday statement on attorney Gloria Allred’s website.
Along with co-counsel John Carpenter, Allred represents the family of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer who died at age 42 when she was shot by actor Alec Baldwin, now 65, as he held a prop gun on the set of “Rust” in 2021. The statement was released after Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a New Mexico trial.
Her defense team – led by attorney Jason Bowles – plans to appeal the verdict, CNN reported.
Gutierrez Reed, 26, was responsible for firearm safety and storage on the movie’s set, per CNN. When Baldwin was handed the gun, he was told it did not have live ammunition in it. While the trial was focused on her role in Hutchins death, Baldwin “figured prominently into testimony and closing arguments,” according to ABC News.
“Both the prosecution and defense in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial dissected video footage of Baldwin before the fatal shooting for clues about breakdowns in firearms safety,” said the outlet. There has not been any video footage found of the actual shooting, which occurred during a rehearsal.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey noted that Baldwin’s actions were not the point of that particular case.
“Alec Baldwin’s conduct and his lack of gun safety… on that day is something that he’s going to have to answer for. Not with you and not today,” she told jurors. “That will be with another jury, on another day.”
Indeed, Baldwin faces his own legal challenges related to the shooting. While previous charges against the actor, who is a producer on the film, were dropped, an analysis of the gun allowed prosecutors to indict him in January.
According to ABC, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge ahead of his July trial date. He’s said that he did not pull the trigger on the gun, but analysis of the gun puts this narrative in question.
An expert told ABC News that Gutierrez-Reed’s trial could give Baldwin’s legal team an edge ahead of his trial. It is expected to involve the same judge and prosecutors in addition to many of the same witnesses.
“They’re in the incredible position of getting to watch this prosecutor in action, see how this judge works, and come in knowing exactly what these experts are going to say and how they present to the jury,” said Emily D. Baker, a legal analyst and former Los Angeles deputy district attorney who wasn't involved in the case. “I don’t think Baldwin’s going to want to deal in this case, and I think his legal team will tell him this is a very different case than the case against Hannah.”
Jurors deliberated the armorer’s case for around three hours before returning a guilty verdict.
During the trial, a weapons expert gave testimony that “aligned with what Baldwin’s team has been saying all along – that it wasn't his job to check the weapon,” according to Baker. Another detail related to Baldwin’s role came from script writer Mamie Mitchell, who testified that the script didn’t call for Baldwin to point the gun.
In Baldwin’s indictment, prosecutors offered two alternative standards for a felony charge against him. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 18 months, per ABC News.
Shooting for “Rust” continued in Montana after the tragedy, and Hutchins’ husband was made a producer on the project.