Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed claims prosecutors hid evidence: report

Rust gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed claims New Mexico prosecutors buried evidence that could have helped clear her of involuntary manslaughter, reports TMZ And Rolling stone.

Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving 18 months in prison in connection with the cameraman’s death Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin-starring in a Western film in October 2021.

According to TMZ, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowlesfiled new legal documents on Thursday, June 27, accusing prosecutors of burying a report alleging “unexplained” changes were made to the trigger of the gun that killed Hutchins.

Rolling stone said the report, which was used Monday, June 24, at a hearing ahead of Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial, was conducted last summer by a weapons expert.

Related: Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ Footage: Everything You Need to Know

While filming his movie Rust on Thursday, October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, wounding the film’s director, Joel Souza, and killing director of photography Halyna Hutchins. The incident took place at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, the weapon was “discharged” […]

In his report, expert Lucien Haag noted markings that “did not appear to be original production marks” or were the result of damage from FBI testing on the weapon in 2022, per Rolling stone.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney says the report may have proven that Baldwin did not pull the trigger and as such his client was not legally responsible for Hutchins’ death, according to TMZ.

Bowles claims prosecutors “withheld exculpatory evidence that it had a constitutional obligation to disclose and would have resulted in a fundamentally different trial and likely outcome,” according to TMZ, which said it obtained the documents.

However, during Monday’s hearing in Baldwin’s case, Haag, the weapons expert, testified that he no longer stands by his report and now believes the marks were made during FBI tests using a hammer, reports Rolling stone.

Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty on March 6 and sentenced to prison the following month, on April 15. She was responsible for the firearms on the New Mexico set. Rust when Hutchins was fatally injured in 2021. The 42-year-old cameraman was struck by live ammunition fired from a gun Baldwin held during rehearsals. Director Joel Souza was also injured.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys filed a motion to appeal the conviction on May 13, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. Gutierrez-Reed is also asking to be released from jail pending the outcome of the appeal.

“Ms. Gutierrez-Reed is seeking release while she appeals, as if her appeal is successful, she will have served most or all of her sentence anyway, rendering much of the appeal futile,” her lawyers argued in the motion, according to TMZ.

We weekly has contacted Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney and the lead prosecutor in her case, Kari T. Morrisseyfor comment.