Naman Shrestha
In Hulu’s ‘Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna,’ the focus is on the unexpected and sudden shooting death of a talented cinematographer named Halyna Hutchins while on the set of the Western movie titled ‘Rust’ on October 21, 2021, in a movie ranch based near La Cienega, New Mexico. Apart from delving deep into the life and career of Halyna, the documentary also explores the details surrounding her mysterious death, which was caused by the shooting of a supposed dummy bullet from the hand of Alec Baldwin.
The armorer on set, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was responsible for overseeing guns and ammunition. Although she was not very experienced in the field, the producers and makers hired her considering the fact that she was the daughter of Olga Solovey and Thell Reed, who was a famous and established armorer himself. Apart from showcasing her proven responsibility in the demise of Halyna, the documentary also consists of Hannah’s audio interview, through which she also gave her account of the entire incident.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed Was Brought to Justice For the Tragic Shooting Death of Halyna Hutchins
More than a couple of years after the tragic shooting death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Hannah Gutierrez Reed stood trial for being indirectly involved in the mishap. Since she was the armorer on set, it was her responsibility to keep a check on the firearm on set. Thus, she was the first individual to go to trial in February 2024. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Hannah was ignorant of safety protocol on set and was careless in diligently performing her duties, which ultimately cost Halyna’s life. On the other hand, her defense argued that the main culprits were the set management team and other crew members, while she was just a scapegoat.
After about three hours of deliberation on March 6, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted her of involuntary manslaughter while acquitting her of evidence tampering. As her sentencing date approached, she apologized to Halyna Hutchins’ loved ones. She stated, “First and foremost, my heart aches for Hutchins’ family and friends and colleagues as well and it has since the day this tragedy occurred. Halyna has been and always will be an inspiration to me. I understand she was taken too soon and I pray that you all find peace.” Demanding probation from the judge, she stated, “The jury has found me in part at fault for this godawful tragedy, but that doesn’t make me a monster, that makes me human.”
While the prosecution demanded that she receive the maximum prison sentence, the defense asked her to be released on probation due to her lack of criminal history. The latter also released a sentencing memo, which stated that the defendant was “incredibly saddened and heartbroken by what happened on that tragic day on the Rust set.” On April 15, 2024, the 26-year-old convicted armorer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for being involved in the killing of the cinematographer. The judge stated, “I did not hear you take accountability in your allocution. You said you were sorry, but not (that) you were sorry for what you did. You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother.”
Hannah Gutierrez Reed Tried to Get Her Convictions Reversed But is Still Behind Bars in New Mexico
Three months later, in July 2024, Hannah Gutierrez Reed and her defense team appealed for a new trial and the dismissal of her convictions following the collapse of Alec Baldwin’s charges in the same case. The defense argued that the prosecution failed to present a crucial forensic report during the trial that could have given more clarity as to how live bullets were mixed with the dummy ones. However, in late September of the same year, the judge declined her motion to be retried.
The judge released a statement regarding the denial of her appeal. It stated, “With respect to the Defendant’s arguments concerning her request for release pending appeal, the Court finds that Defendant has not established by clear and convincing evidence that Defendant is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released.” The following month, on October 7, Hannah reportedly pled guilty to another firearm charge related to a 2021 incident in a downtown Santa Fe dive bar. She reportedly took a gun into The Matador on October 1, 2021, 20 days prior to the tragic shooting at the movie ranch.
Ahead of her sentencing, she said, “Your honor, I’d just like to apologize to the court and thank you for your judgment today.” For this crime, she was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation, which she is serving concurrently with her previous 18-month imprisonment sentence. Moreover, she was ordered not to possess firearms or ammunition, consume illegal drugs or alcohol, and regularly get a urinalysis done to ensure compliance. Currently, she is reportedly serving her sentence at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, New Mexico.
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