Gunsmith ‘Rust’ Hannah Gutierrez-Reed says prosecutors hid evidence that could have helped her: report

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed claims New Mexico prosecutors buried evidence that could have helped clear her of manslaughter, TMZ and Rolling Stone.

Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence in connection with the death of a cameraman Halina Hutchins on set Alec Baldwin– a star-studded western film coming in October 2021.

According to TMZ, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowlesfiled new legal documents on Thursday, June 27, accusing prosecutors of covering up a report that claimed “unexplained” changes were made to the trigger of the gun that killed Hutchins.

Rolling Stone said the report, which was used Monday, June 24, at an evidentiary hearing in Baldwin’s manslaughter trial, was prepared by a firearms expert last summer.

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In his report, the expert Lucien Haag noticed markings that “did not appear to be original production marks” or were the result of weapons tests conducted by the FBI in 2022, according to Rolling Stone.

According to TMZ, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney says the report may prove that Baldwin did not pull the trigger and therefore his client is not legally responsible for Hutchins’ death.

Bowles claims prosecutors “withheld shocking exculpatory evidence that she had a constitutional duty to disclose that would have resulted in a fundamentally different trial and likely a different outcome,” according to TMZ, which said it obtained the documents.

However, during Monday’s evidentiary hearing in Baldwin’s case, Haag, a firearms expert, testified that he no longer stands by his report and now believes the marks were made during FBI hammer tests, reports A rolling stone.

Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty on March 6 and sentenced to prison the following month, on April 15. She was responsible for the firearm on the show’s set in New Mexico Rust when Hutchins was fatally wounded in 2021. The 42-year-old cinematographer was hit by live ammunition fired from a gun held by Baldwin during rehearsals. Director Joel Souza was also injured.

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According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers filed a motion to appeal the verdict on May 13. Gutierrez-Reed is also seeking to be released from prison while the appeal is pending.

“SM. Gutierrez-Reed is seeking release pending her appeal as if her appeal were successful and she would serve most or all of her sentence anyway, rendering a significant portion of the appeal moot,” her lawyers argued in the motion, according to TMZ.

Us Weekly contacted Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer and the lead prosecutor in her case, Kari T Morrisseyfor comment.