Prosecutors in New Mexico have alleged that armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed passed cocaine to someone else to avoid scrutiny of her handling of weapons on the “Rust” film set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed.

In a new filing in New Mexico’s 1st Judicial District Court, prosecutors said a witness could testify that Gutierrez Reed transferred a “small bag of cocaine” to them following the fatal shooting of Hutchins in October 2021.

The prosecutors allege the armorer did so to avoid prosecution and prevent law enforcement from obtaining evidence that could determine her handling of firearms and the circumstances of the accidental shooting.

Prosecutors did not identify the witness, saying they will be “blacklisted from the film industry” for coming forward.

The allegation is the latest development in the newly appointed prosecutors’ attempts to bring charges in the “Rust” case. Gutierrez Reed is the sole remaining defendant after charges against Alec Baldwin were dropped.

“A secret witness appears 20 months later? With no actual corroboration or evidence? And the state won’t identify the person? This is a throwback to the secret, star chamber prosecutions in England in the 15th century that were abolished,” said Gutierrez Reed’s attorney Jason Bowles in an emailed statement. “Like everything else with the state’s case and investigation, it’s full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing.”

Gutierrez Reed is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors have been scrutinizing her behavior on set of the film on the day of the fatal shooting.

Earlier this month, prosecutors alleged Gutierrez Reed was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into Baldwin’s revolver before the fatal shooting. The accusation was leveled after an attempt by her attorneys to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charges against her, saying they were without merit.

In April, prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Baldwin in the “Rust” shooting after receiving new information about the gun in the case. source

  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    Following the link, curious as to why charges were dropped against Baldwin at all, I found the supposed answer:

    “The replica of the vintage weapon — a Colt .45 revolver — had been modified , increasing the odds that the gun might have misfired, as Baldwin has said, according to the sources.”

    And I’m left to wonder, how much money is prerequisite for getting away with negligence that results in the death of another?

    There shouldn’t have been live ammo on set at all, and whether or not they had live ammo on set, if those firearms have the ability to chamber a live cartridge at all, they should be checked by the armorer while the actor watches, then handed to the actor, and then the actor checks it themselves. That is how it works for firearms owners/people they’re teaching etc, and actors should not have the excuse of being “too dumb” to learn how to check a gun, if bubba’s 10yo kid can do it after one afternoon of teaching, most actors can too. If an actor can’t learn Col. Jeff Cooper’s four rules and how to check the gun they’re using for live rounds, they should not be able to use real or blank firing firearms in movies, non-firing replicas only. Drop their SAG insurance for noncompliance, as it is a serious safety hazard to all involved for them to be as cavelier as they seem to be.