Jury member speaks following ‘Rust’ armorer verdict
By John Cardinale
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SANTA FE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday, a jury in Santa Fe found “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 movie set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Gutierrez-Reed was found not guilty of tampering with evidence.
“Given the amount of evidence they had to consider, three hours is a very quick verdict,” KOAT Legal Expert John Day said.
Members of the jury on day 10 reached their verdict based on one single fact.
“(She) never did the safety checks. Never checked the rounds. Not looking at them or shaking them. I mean, if you did that, it wouldn’t have happened,” jury member Alberto Sanchez said.
Sanchez compared Gutierrez-Reed’s lack of checking ammunition to his job, saying he must be careful with what he does as a CDL driver.
“I have to check my vehicle to make sure I’m not going to slam into people or something like that,” Sanchez said. “That was her job to check those rounds, those firearms.”
After court, ABC News caught up with prosecutor Kari Morrissey, who said it’s hard to say that she’s pleased with the verdict.
“Nothing is ever going to bring Halyna back to her family. It was a hard-fought case,” Morrissey said. “We are glad it’s over and hope it brings some closure to the Hutchins family.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said he respects the jury’s decision, but he is disappointed.
“My sense was the evidence was not sufficient, there was a lot of guesswork,” Bowles said. “A lot of speculation. But again, the jury made this verdict, and we will be appealing that.”
Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge.
Her sentencing is expected to happen in April.
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