Rusty Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s maximum sentence of 18 months is ‘a bad sign for Alec Baldwin’, expert warns – as actor’s trial approaches
Alec Baldwin may be sweating profusely after Rust armor champion Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s maximum sentence on Monday ahead of the star and producer’s criminal trial in July.
Gutierrez-Reed, the primary weapons handler on the set of the ill-fated indie film Rust, was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March by a jury, making her the first crew member to be convicted of the accidental shooting of Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin, 66.
Baldwin’s criminal trial is set to begin July 10 after a grand jury indicted him in January for involuntary manslaughter.
Legal analyst and personal injury lawyer Miguel Custodio says it could be ‘bad news’ for the 30 rock star, who faces the same sentence, if found guilty.
Armor master Hannah Guttierez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Monday for the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
“(It) shows that the court is taking this fatal shooting seriously and that it’s not just for show, as his defense attorneys claim,” Custodio said.
‘A plea deal would be the best strategy for him right now given today’s sentencing and the information the prosecution has about the chaos on set and Baldwin’s failure to do anything about it. But I don’t see that happening,’ he added.
Baldwin has consistently maintained his innocence, but Guttierez-Reed’s lawyers argue that the environment he created on set led to Hutchins’ death.
“(He) may think he’ll have an easier time if he believes his team can convince a jury to see that the only guilty party has already been convicted,” Custodio added.
“It’s a risky proposition, since Baldwin’s role as producer actually involves him in every aspect of the production. Potential jurors will clearly want to know what happened to Gutierrez-Reed and will really scrutinize Baldwin’s lack of responsibility for the chaos on set.’
Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger and said he was told to point the weapon at the camera. The FBI and private gun experts determined that the gun would not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
He has repeatedly tried to have the charges against him dropped, most recently in the immediate aftermath of Guttierez-Reed’s guilty verdict. It was reported last year that Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, will testify against Baldwin in his criminal case.
In July, prosecutors will raise the case that Baldwin, who was a producer on the doomed film, shares responsibility for Hutchins’ tragic end.
Legal analyst and personal injury attorney Miguel Custodio says it could be “bad news” for the 30 rock star, who faces the same sentence if found guilty
Baldwin has consistently maintained his innocence, but Guttierez-Reed’s lawyers claim the environment he created on set led to Hutchins’ death
The judge said the rust rustler was given the length of her sentence because of her lack of remorse
“We know prosecutors will present their case around Baldwin overseeing the chaos and doing nothing about it, but know that Gutierrez-Reed was relatively inexperienced and overwhelmed,” said the co-founder of Custodio & Dubey LLP.
And yet he decided not to bring anyone else in or make any other personnel changes. This morning she said herself that she lacked the right resources and staffing, and she tried to get the job done anyway.’
His lawyers have said he had no ability to regulate his emotions in the weeks leading up to the shooting and pushed crews to work quickly and “routinely compromised safety.”
The legal analyst also notes that it will be the same judge and community prosecuting him on the same facts.
Hutchins was killed when Baldwin pointed his gun at the cinematographer and cocked the weapon as she made a scene.
Gutierrez-Reed wept as her fate was read aloud to her in court today by a judge who reprimanded her for her apparent lack of remorse.
“Your lawyer had to tell the court that you were remorseful,” Judge Mary Marlow Sommer said.
The first firearms professional, who is the stepdaughter of Thell Reed – a respected Hollywood firearms trainer – was sentenced by Judge Sommer in New Mexico District Court.
Halyna Hutchins, 42, was a mother-of-one and aspiring cinematographer when she was fatally shot on the set of the Alec Baldwin-produced indie western ‘Rust’
Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins and Armor Master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed appear in this photo of the cast and crew of Rust
The infamous gun fired on set that ended up killing cinematographer Hutchins
Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed requested that she receive a suspended sentence, but prosecutors argued for the 18 months because of an apparent lack of remorse from the defendant.
Judge Sommer sided with prosecutors and handed down the full recommended sentence to Gutierrez-Reed after it was pointed out that she had called jurors ‘idiots’ and said the judge had been ‘paid off’ during phone calls she made from prison.
She also continued to blame Baldwin and others on set and on the production team for the shooting.