‘Rust’ armourer faces additional charges for tampering evidence in case

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, has been slapped with another charge.

On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when a live round was discharged from a revolver used as a prop by actor Alec Baldwin.

Special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, overseeing the case charged Gutierrez-Reed, with one count of fourth-degree tampering with evidence, per filings obtained by CBS News Thursday, June 22nd, 2023.

The charge was filed after the lead investigator into the shooting was abruptly kicked off the case, sparking allegations that the prosecution is hiding evidence.

“It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez Reed, with no prior notice or any indication of any witness statements to support it,” Jason Bowles, an attorney for Gutierrez-Reed said.

This comes on the heels of the state letting its lead investigator go, and the investigator raising serious concerns about the investigation in an email.”

Last week, prosecutors claimed that Gutierrez-Reed was “drinking heavily and smoking marijuana” in the evening during the filming of Rust and was likely hungover when she loaded the gun that discharged with a live round.

Following a lengthy investigation, both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter in January.

In April, however, Lewis and Morrissey announced that the charges against Baldwin were being dropped because “new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis.” They noted though that their “decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.”