Why the Convicted Rust Armorer Who Doesn’t Want to Testify in Alec Baldwin’s Case Is Headed to Trial Again

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, rust The gunwoman, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the accidental death of cameraman Halyne Hutchins on set in 2021, is set to go on trial in August on a separate felony charge.

This additional court case, while already known, has resurfaced in recent days as lawyers suing Alec Baldwin for his own involuntary manslaughter asked the court to compel her to testify at the actor’s trial in July.

Last year, a grand jury indicted Gutierrez-Reed, 27 — the Western’s lead gun handler, who accidentally loaded a live round into the gun Baldwin was holding when it fired, killing Hutchins — on a felony charge of bringing a firearm into a New Mexico bar on Oct. 1. in 2021

According to court documents filed by prosecutors, as they investigated rust shooting, they discovered a selfie video of Gutierrez-Reed carrying a gun into the facility.

Everything you need to know about rust The shooting case and the upcoming trial of Alec Baldwin

“After successfully bypassing security at the bar, she went to the bathroom and took a selfie video saying: ‘They checked my purse but they didn’t check my ass! ‘Wah wah wah,’” court documents state. “At the same time as she was speaking, she was holding a nickel-plated semi-automatic pistol in front of the camera.”

Hannah Gutierrez Reed in court on April 15.

Eddie Moore-Pool/Getty

Gutierrez-Reed, who is serving an 18-month sentence for manslaughter, has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, she could face an additional 18 months in prison, according to Jason Bowles, one of her attorneys.

Prosecutors want Gutierrez-Reed, who is appealing a March manslaughter conviction, to testify at Baldwin’s upcoming trial. But during a preliminary interview in May, she asserted her Fifth Amendment privilege and refused to answer “all relevant questions,” according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie ‘Rust’.

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock

Because of this, they asked the court to grant her “use immunity,” meaning that anything she says at Baldwin’s trial cannot be used against her during her appeal.

On June 10, Bowles filed his objection to the state’s request in court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Convicted rust The gunwoman prosecutors want to testify at Alec Baldwin’s trial says she wants to see him ‘in jail’

“Mrs. Gutierrez Reed was also charged with felony bringing a firearm into a bar,” he wrote. “The State failed to mention or discuss this separate prosecution in its claim for involuntary immunity.”

“Forcing her to testify at Mr. Baldwin’s trial would generate enormous publicity while the appeal of her conviction is still pending, which would seriously harm Ms. Gutierrez Reed if a new trial is granted, and in her separate prosecution for bringing a firearm into a bar,” he continued. is.

Halyna Hutchins 2018. Matt Hayward/Getty

“There is simply no way to account for the various forms of prejudice — not to mention the constitutional harm — that Ms. Gutierrez-Reed would suffer if she were compelled to testify, because there is no way to protect potential jurors from her testimony at Mr. Baldwin’s Trial, which will to be one of the most watched, publicized and debated trials in New Mexico history,” he added.

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Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who is presiding over Baldwin’s trial, will hear arguments for and against granting Gutierrez-Reed immunity on June 21.

Baldwin, who insisted he did not pull the trigger and did not know the gun he was holding contained live ammunition, is due to stand trial on July 10.

Gutierrez-Reed’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 6.

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Source: HIS Education