SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The armorer accused of playing a key role in the movie set death of Halyna Hutchins is asking the court to dismiss the case against her. In a motion filed Thursday, May 18, attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed highlight a series of “cumulative errors” in the case, claiming prosecutors have “eschewed professional norms” and “instead attempted to try Reed in the court of public opinion.”
Hutchins was killed on the set of the film “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe in October 2021. As an armorer, Gutierrez-Reed was in charge on weapons on the set. The Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office eventually charged her with involuntary manslaughter, accusing Gutierrez-Reed of negligently handling weapons on the set, alleged behavior that eventually lead to Hutchins’ death.
Since criminal charges were filed against Gutierrez-Reed, Actor Alec Baldwin and Assistant Director David Halls on January 31, 2023, the case has faced a series of different legal challenges. In April, Baldwin’s charges were formally dropped.
Now, Gutierrez-Reed is asking for a judge to toss out the involuntary manslaughter charge (and one alternative count) against her. If the case isn’t dismissed, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys are asking the court to “consider sanctions,” to include the possible suppression of some of the prosecution’s evidence.
In the more than 30 page filing, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys in part claim that “improper political motives” tainted the Gutierrez-Reed case. For example, they say the former special prosecutor on the case, state representative Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis) used the case as a chance to boost her career.
Reeb was initially appointed as the special prosecutor on the case. However, she stepped down from the role in March, amid questions over her eligibility to serve as a prosecutor and lawmaker at the same time. After leaving the case, the New York Times published previously unseen emails indicating that Reeb had privately joked about using the case to advance her political career before the public knew the case would be filed.
Commenting on the filing Thursday, Reeb told KRQE News 13 that since she’s no longer involved in the case directly, she feels the attorneys on the case will deal with the allegations.
The filing also criticizes Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies for numerous actions she took while still involved in the case. In March, a Santa Fe Judge ruled that Carmack-Altweis would not be allowed to help co-counsel on the case while also hiring a special prosecutor. She subsequently stepped down from the case, handing prosecution to private attorneys Jason Lewis and Kari Morrissey.
KRQE News 13 also reached out to a spokeswoman for Carmack-Altweis. As of publication on Thursday evening, KRQE News had not received a response for comment on the filing.
In addition to the motion to dismiss the manslaughter charges, another recent filing on the case asked: “to transfer custody of certain items of evidence from Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department to a ballistics expert for forensic testing.” That motion was unopposed and approved by the district court.
