Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found herself one of the most shocking film production tragedies in history. After serving as the armorer on Alec Baldwin‘s western movie Rust, Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Learn more about the former film armorer below.
Hannah’s Father Is a Known Hollywood Armorer
Gutierrez-Reed is related to famed armorer Thell Reed, who has worked on several productions, including Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, Miami Vice and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. In 1995, Thell spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how he instructed the cast of The Quick and the Dead with shooting techniques.
”I teach smoothness and style, and the speed comes by itself,” he told the publication. “It’s the ultimate dream movie.”
Another Production Reportedly Complained About Her
According to The Wrap, key grip Stu Brumbaugh claimed that people on the set of The Old Way complained about Gutierrez-Reed’s inexperience when it came to gun safety. Per the former crew member, film star Nicolas Cage screamed at Gutierrez-Reed for firing a gun near the cast and crew members more than once.
“Make an announcement, you just blew my f**king eardrums out!” Cage allegedly yelled, per the key grip. “I told the AD, ‘She needs to be let go,’” Brumbaugh explained, adding, “After the second round, I was pissed off. We were moving too fast. She’s a rookie.”
‘Rust’ Was Hannah’s Second Armorer Job
During an appearance on the “Voices of the West” podcast, Gutierrez-Reed opened up about working on The Old Way, calling it a “badass way to start off” her career as an armorer.
“It was a really badass way to start off a really long and cool career,” she explained. “It was also my first time being head armorer as well. I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready. But doing it, like, it went really smoothly.”
As for what the “scariest” part of the job was for her, Gutierrez-Reed admitted that “loading blanks” was hard at first because “I was like, ‘oh, I don’t know anything about it.'”
Hannah Was Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter
In October 2021, Hutchins — a cinematographer for Rust — was accidentally shot and killed by a loaded prop gun fired by Baldwin while working on a scene. Although involuntary manslaughter charges were dismissed against the actor, the charges were reportedly refiled in January 2024 after a grand jury indicted him.
As for Gutierrez-Reed, she was charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2023. At the time, attorney Jason Bowles noted that their legal team was “expecting the charges, but they’re absolutely wrong as to Hannah — we expect that she will be found not guilty by a jury and she did not commit manslaughter [sic].”
She Was Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison
Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Per The New York Post, New Mexico District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer told her, “I did not hear you take accountability,” during her sentencing hearing in April 2024.
“You said you were sorry, but not you were sorry for what you did,” the judge said, according to the outlet. “It was your attorney that had to tell the court you were remorseful. The word remorse, a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs, that’s not you. … I find that what you did constitutes a serious violent offense. It was committed in a physically violent manner … I am sentencing you to 18 months of incarceration at a women’s correctional facility in New Mexico.”