What happened?
A jury in Santa Fe on Wednesday convicted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the New Mexico set of "Rust," of involuntary manslaughter for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. Hutchins was shot by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal. The jury acquitted Gutierrez-Reed, 26, of evidence tampering.
Who said what?
Gutierrez-Reed, who allegedly brought live ammunition on the set, showed an "astonishing lack of diligence," prosecutor Kari Morrissey said in closing arguments. "This was a game of Russian roulette every time an actor had a gun with dummies." Defense lawyer Jason Bowles said Baldwin and "Rust" producers made Gutierrez-Reed a "scapegoat" because she was "the least powerful person" on the chaotic, low-budget set. Juror Alberto Sanchez said the armorer's job was "to check those rounds and those firearms," and she failed.
The commentary
The trial "provided a glimpse of what's to come when Baldwin goes to court" in July to face involuntary manslaughter charges, The Washington Post said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Bowles said Gutierrez-Reed will appeal the verdict, which carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
-
Bolton indictment: Retribution or justice?Feature Trump’s former national security adviser turned critic, John Bolton, was indicted for mishandling classified information after publishing his ‘tell-all’ memoir
-
Chicago: Scenes from a city under siegeFeature Chicago is descending into chaos as masked federal agents target people in public spaces and threaten anyone who tries to document the arrests
-
Young Republicans: Does the GOP have a Nazi problem?Feature Leaked chats from members of the Young Republican National Federation reveal racist slurs and Nazi jokes
-
8 of the best horror comedy films of all timeThe Week Recommends From parodies to ‘requels,’ these movies will make you laugh and scream at the same time
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
5 of the best kid-friendly scary moviesThe Week Recommends Hardcore horror is for grown-ups only, but light scares can be startling fun for the whole family
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider WomanFeature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Frankenstein comes to life, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Film reviews: Anemone and The Smashing MachineFeature A recluse receives an unwelcome guest and a pioneering UFC fighter battles addiction
-
The 5 best mob movies of all timeThe Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
