‘Rust’ trial set for December; Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed pleads not guilty

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a film set south of Santa Fe in 2021, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

State District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has set December 5 as the start date for the trial, beginning with jury selection.

Gutierrez-Reed was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Hutchins, 42, on the New Mexico set of the Western in October 2021. Special prosecutors added a charge of tampering with evidence in June, accusing the armorer of giving cocaine to another person.

She could receive up to three years in prison if convicted.

Gutierrez-Reed is the only person who still faces charges from the incident. The two charges of involuntary manslaughter against actor Alec Baldwin, who was holding the gun when it went off, were dropped in April.

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