Hannah Gutierrez, responsible for weapons on the Rust set, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges. Alec Baldwin, holding the gun when it fired, will face trial separately.
A trial is set for the armorer responsible for weapons on the western film Rust, related to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Jury selection for Hannah Gutierrez’s case is due to start in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, with the trial to follow.
In October 2021, Ms. Hutchins was fatally shot during a Rust rehearsal when the pistol Alec Baldwin was using discharged. Director Joel Souza was also injured.
Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges. If convicted, she faces up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 (£3,967) fine.
Baldwin has separately pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge under investigation.
State workplace safety regulators say Gutierrez was responsible for firearms and ammunition on set and for training cast members using guns.
Prosecutors allege she accidentally introduced live ammunition to the set through a series of negligent actions.
Gutierrez’s lawyers claim she has been scapegoated.
Regarding Baldwin’s case:
Baldwin was initially charged in January 2023, over a year after the incident.
Those charges were dropped months later, based on evidence suggesting the revolver could fire without the trigger being pulled due to alterations to the hammer.
Baldwin was re-charged in January of this year and pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier this month.
He has stated the gun fired after he pulled the hammer back but did not pull the trigger.
No trial date has been set for his case yet.
Following an agreement that made Ms. Hutchins’s widower an executive producer, Baldwin resumed his role as the lead in Rust, filmed in Montana last year.
