Hannah Gutierrez, ‘Rust’ armourer, found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

A jury in New Mexico found “Rust” armourer Hannah Gutierrez guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday.

The trial centred on whether Gutierrez, who, as per Reuters, was a relatively inexperienced armourer, endangered crew and cast members by mishandling firearms on the low-budget production set in New Mexico.

The verdict

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Gutierrez’s immediate custody. The armourer faces a potential sentence of up to 18 months in state prison.

The jury deliberated for just three hours before finding her guilty of involuntary manslaughter. However, they acquitted Gutierrez of a second charge related to evidence tampering.

As deputies escorted her from the courtroom, Gutierrez reassured her distressed mother, saying, “I’ll be okay.”

In the closing statement, prosecutor Kari Morrissey characterised the case as a series of safety failures leading to a tragic outcome.

“This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another,” said Morrissey.

A fall person

Gutierrez’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, has revealed plans to appeal the verdict.

“My sense was the evidence was insufficient, and it was a lot of speculation,” said Bowles.

During the trial, Bowles argued that the production company’s decision to employ Gutierrez as both an armourer and props assistant to save costs contributed to the safety lapses.

Bowles contended that Gutierrez, as a junior member on set, was unfairly shouldering blame for management failures.