‘Rust’ armorer given maximum sentence by New Mexico judge – Law Officer

SANTA FE, N.M. – Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was emotional and cried throughout her court hearing on Monday. The “Rust” armorer was sentenced to 18 months — the maximum possible punishment — for her involvement in the negligent shooting death of Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin in 2021.

New Mexico District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced the 26-year-old Gutierrez-Reed after she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last month, the New York Post reported.

“A conditional discharge is not appropriate,” Judge Sommer told Gutierrez-Reed. “The second option — leaving you in the detention center — is giving you a pass you do not deserve … you alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, a husband would have his wife and a little boy would have his mother.”

During trial, jurors heard evidence about how Gutierrez-Reed flouted gun safety protocols, which allowed a live round to end up in the handgun Baldwin was using for the film.

Baldwin’s trial is scheduled for July. His legal team received a view of what to expect since it will involve the same judge and prosecutors as well as many of the same witnesses, the Associated Press reported.