Prosecutors charged Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the movie “Rust,” with evidence tampering Thursday in relation to the October 2021 shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, according to Reuters.
This new charge is in addition to the exiting one of involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution alleged Gutierrez-Reed transferred “narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself,” according to Reuters.
#UPDATE: Hannah’s attorney, Jason Bowles, tells us, “Something is rotten in Denmark. It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez Reed.” Full statement here: https://t.co/FLNJeRnhx5
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 22, 2023
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There is no indication of what type of drugs Gutierrez-Reed allegedly shuffled to another person, and there have been no reports on the individual the narcotics were allegedly given to.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer Jason Bowles said his client intends to plead not guilty to all charges filed against her. Halyna Hutchins was allegedly killed on the set of the film just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer allegedly responsible for the gun that was allegedly fired by Alec Baldwin, which reportedly contained live ammunition in spite of the fact it was intended to be a prop gun. Hutchins was allegedly shot and killed when the gun was fired. “Rust” director Joel Souza was also injured in the alleged shooting. (RELATED: REPORT: Prosecutors Allege ‘Rust’ Armorer Was Hungover At Time Of Fatal Shooting)
The “Rust” film set armorer charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is now also being charged with tampering with evidence. https://t.co/XikXJ56VdE
— ABC News (@ABC) June 23, 2023
Alec Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were originally charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The criminal charges against him were dropped in April 2023.
A statement released by New Mexico special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said, “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” according to the BBC.