ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – Federal authorities revealed Friday that the gun attendant on the set of the movie “Rust” had delivered a bag of cocaine to another person the night after the shooting that killed the cinematographer. Halina Hutchins.
Prosecutors in the controversial case allege that when the gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, allegedly gave the bag of cocaine to another person in October 2021, she interfered with the investigation into the deadly shooting on the set of “Rust.”
Now Gutiérrez-Reed is accused of tampering with evidence, in addition to the charge of involuntary manslaughter, for allegedly loading a live bullet into the gun of Alec Baldwin, an actor who would have fatally detonated it by accident against Hutchins.
“It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special counsel is now bringing an entirely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, without prior notice or witness statements, laboratory reports or supporting evidence,” said Jason Bowles, attorney for the gunsmith, in a statement.
Gutiérrez-Reed is the only remaining defendant in the “Rust” case, after Prosecutors will drop a manslaughter charge against Baldwin in Aprilwho was pointing a gun at Hutchins at a rehearsal when he allegedly detonated it, killing the woman and wounding the director, Joel Souza, on October 21, 2021.
However, prosecutors can still re-file charges against Baldwin.
The new charge against Gutierrez-Reed came a week after prosecutors alleged in a court filing that the defendant drank and smoked marijuana at night during the filming of “Rust” and that she likely had a hangover the day she was placed on a drug. live bullet in the gun Baldwin used.
