Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the individual responsible for handling weapons on a film set, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Gutierrez-Reed loaded a gun for actor Alec Baldwin, which tragically led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The 26-year-old armourer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year but was acquitted of tampering with evidence related to the 2021 incident on the set of Rust.
The sentence handed to Gutierrez-Reed is the maximum allowable for the offense.
Actor Alec Baldwin, aged 65, also faces a manslaughter trial in July.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who handed down the sentence on Monday in a New Mexico court, emphasized the severity of Gutierrez-Reed’s actions, stating that she alone transformed a safe weapon into a deadly one.
The judge highlighted the tragic consequences, noting that Halyna Hutchins would still be alive had it not been for Gutierrez-Reed’s actions.
Halyna Hutchins, aged 42, lost her life when a firearm used by Baldwin discharged a live round during a rehearsal on the set of the Western film in New Mexico.
Prosecutors argued that Gutierrez-Reed had neglected her duty to ensure the weapon was only loaded with dummy rounds, resulting in the lethal outcome.
During the trial, prosecutor Kari T Morrissey emphasized the series of safety failures that ultimately led to the loss of life.
Gutierrez-Reed’s negligence was underscored, as it was revealed that she failed to recognize live bullets mixed with dummy rounds in the ammunition on set, leading to the fatal mistake.
