IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's trial date pushed back to next year

The trial had originally been scheduled to begin in December, but it was moved because of “scheduling issues for various witnesses,” an attorney for Gutierrez-Reed said.
The Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. 23, 2021.
The set of "Rust" on the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., in October 2021.Jae C. Hong / AP file

A new trial date has been set for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the movie “Rust,” whose cinematographer was killed on the set in 2021.  

Jason Bowles, an attorney for Gutierrez-Reed, confirmed Monday that the trial had been pushed back to Feb. 21, citing “scheduling issues for various witnesses.” 

The trial had originally been scheduled to begin in December.

Gutierrez-Reed has been charged with tampering with evidence and two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting, which killed the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and injured its director, Joel Souza.

Actor Alec Baldwin was holding the prop gun during a rehearsal on the Western film set when it dislodged a live round of ammunition. Baldwin has repeatedly maintained in interviews that he did not pull the trigger.

In April, prosecutors announced that manslaughter charges against Baldwin would be dropped, saying the gun may have been modified. 

But last week, a report filed in court raised the possibility that charges against Baldwin could be refiled. In a new gun analysis report, firearms experts Lucien C. Haag and Michael G. Haag found that the Colt .45 prop revolver had not been modified. The report was included in a motion filed by Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys. 

Santa Fe County special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey said last week: “Charges against Mr. Baldwin are being considered, but a final decision has not yet been made. We won’t be pressured by Ms. Gutierrez’s attorneys or anyone else in this regard.”

Baldwin's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.