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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A jury will soon consider whether a film weapons supervisor should be convicted in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of a Western film, as That lawyers gave closing arguments on Wednesday. The trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed,
Gutierrez-Reed, 24, who is shooting her second feature film in 2021, has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering at a trial in downtown Santa Fe. new Mexico,
The proceedings are a prelude to a possible lawsuit against Baldwin scheduled for july On the same charge of culpable homicide.
Baldwin, who has pleaded not guilty, was pointing a revolver at cinematographer Halina Hutchins when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Prosecutors say Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition to the set of “Rust” at a farm on the outskirts of Santa Fe, where gunfire continued for at least 12 days leading up to the fatal shooting.
Delivering her closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey described “relentless, never-ending security failures” on the set of “Rust” and Gutierrez-Reed’s “stunning lack of diligence” with gun safety.
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Morrissey told the jury, “We end where we began – in pursuit of justice for Halina Hutchins.” “Hannah Gutierrez failed to maintain firearm safety, causing a fatal accident that was intentional and foreseeable.”
Prosecutors argue that the armorer repeatedly omitted or minimized standard gun-safety protocols, which could have exposed live rounds to the set.
Morrissey said, “It was a game of Russian roulette whenever an actor had a gun with a dummy.”
Defense attorneys argue that the problems on the film set extended far beyond Gutierrez-Reed’s control, including the misuse of weapons by lead actor and co-producer Baldwin, whom crew members were reluctant to confront .
He says prosecutors have come no closer to proving where the live ammunition came from, failing to fully investigate the Albuquerque-based ammunition supplier.
Dozens of witnesses testified over the course of 10 days at the trial, ranging from FBI experts in firearms and crime-scene forensics to a camera dolly operator who described the fatal gunshot and Hutchins’ feelings in his legs before his death. Saw it getting lost.
Prosecutors have painstakingly gathered photographic evidence they say traces the arrival and spread of live rounds on set, including Souza, to recreate the day of the shooting on October 21, 2021. Eyewitness testimony has been used.
Prosecutors say six live rounds found on the “Rust” set have mostly similar characteristics – and do not match live rounds seized from the film’s supplier in Albuquerque. Defense lawyers say the disorganized supply office was not searched until a month after the fatal shooting, reducing the value of the physical evidence there.
The second charge of tampering with evidence against Gutierrez-Reed relates to an allegation that he handed a small bag of possible narcotics to another crew member to avoid identification after the shooting.
The felony charges against Gutierrez-Reed could see you sentenced to up to several years in prison.
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