Jury hears opening statements in 'Rust' armorer's involuntary manslaughter trial

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Opening statements began Thursday in the trial of "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who faces charges of manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In his opening statement, New Mexico special prosecutor Jason Lewis said Gutierrez-Reed's "sloppy" weapons handling on the set led to Hutchins' death. He also accused her of failing to properly check the gun in question before bringing it to the set.

Lewis said prosecutors plan to call in several witnesses, who he said will detail Gutierrez-Reed's "unprofessional and sloppy" conduct and testify that she left guns and ammunition lying around on set.

Gutierrez-Reed is charged with two county of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors alleged she loaded a live round into the Colt .45 revolver that Alec Baldwin used on the set of the production of the western movie "Rust" in 2021.

At the time, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene when the gun discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Gutierrez-Reed also was charged with tampering with evidence, with prosecutors alleging she tried to hand off a small bag of cocaine to another person after the shooting.

She faces up to three years in prison if convicted. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said they hope to answer two questions during the two-week trial: What events led to Hutchins' death? And how did live ammunition end up on the set?

Lewis told jurors that the prop guns on set were "legitimate firearms" and that the gun involved in Hutchins' death was "brand new and perfectly functioning."

He also said it was Gutierrez-Reed's responsibility as armorer to check each round and firearm before it arrived on set, but she instead treated safety protocols as "optional."

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney Jason Bowles argued "numerous faults on production's part" led to the shooting and that the production required her to serve as both armorer and prop assistant, which meant she did not have time to properly oversee weapons safety.

He also said he will have evidence that proves Gutierrez-Reed did not bring live ammunition on set.

Bowels said Hutchins' death was a result of Baldwin's failure to comply with film set safety regulations.

"You will hear that Hollywood actors are not allowed to point guns, real guns at other actors or crew," he said. "You learn these rules and go into the classes you learn these rules if you've ever owned a gun, rule No. 1, never point a firearm at somebody unless you intend to shoot it."

Baldwin was indicted for a second time last month on one count of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union responded to the indictment by saying, "an actor's job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert."

"Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm," SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.

In prior interviews, Baldwin maintained he did not even pull the trigger when the gun went off.

"I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me," he told ABC News months after the shooting.