After a trial that lasted almost two weeks, it took a jury three hours to return a guilty verdict for involuntary manslaughter against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on “Rust.”
After an investigation of cinematographer Haylna Hutchins’ death that took more than two years, it was a swift end. One case remains: Alec Baldwin, who held the gun that killed Hutchins on October 21, 2021.
Baldwin’s trial is set for July and it carries the same involuntary manslaughter charge. Like Gutierrez-Reed, he faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted. Gutierrez-Reed currently awaits sentencing while in custody.
Neama Rahmani, founder of Los Angeles-based personal injury firm West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, said he believes Baldwin’s case will be much harder to prosecute — but Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction only helped his case.
“It’s a win-win for Baldwin,” Rahmani told IndieWire. “The prosecution has proven that she’s responsible. [Baldwin’s attorneys] have a full preview of the evidence that’s going to come in during the next trial, and they can prepare their case accordingly… the second defendant always has an advantage.”
Two people can be found responsible for the death of Hutchins, he said, but proving that Baldwin was guilty of involuntary manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt will be a different path and one that’s more difficult to navigate.
Conventional wisdom is both “Rust” cases should have been tried at once, Rahmani said, but a series of missteps by the state made things more complicated.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, but the initial charges had to be dropped because prosecutors misapplied a five-year enhancement. The New Mexico law that allows involuntary manslaughter.
