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In an ongoing investigation surrounding the shooting incident on the set of the independent Western film Rust in 2021, prosecutors in New Mexico claim that armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed attempted to hide cocaine after being questioned by police. Deadline reported on these developments.
The prosecutors filed a motion to protect the witness’s identity, citing concerns about media harassment and potential industry blacklisting. Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer refuted the claims, stating the lack of corroboration or evidence.
This revelation was disclosed in a recent filing by special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, who have added a charge of tampering with evidence against Gutierrez-Reed, stating that she allegedly “did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution, or conviction of herself.” The specific type of drug involved was not disclosed at the time of the filing.
Earlier this month, Morrissey and Lewis filed a motion stating that witnesses in the case would testify that Gutierrez-Reed had been heavily drinking and smoking marijuana during the evenings while working on Rust. They also suggested that she may have been hungover on the morning of October 21, 2021, when a prop firearm, which was loaded with a live round and being handled by actor Alec Baldwin, discharged during a rehearsal on the set at Bonanza Creek Ranch. The incident resulted in the tragic death of Halyna Hutchens and the injury of director Joel Souza.
In response to the prosecutors’ claims, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, refuted the allegations, labeling them as false. Bowles accused the prosecutors of intentionally introducing irrelevant and inflammatory arguments to unfairly influence public opinion against his client.
Regarding the recent filing and the undisclosed witness, Bowles expressed skepticism, stating, “A secret witness appears 20 months later? With no actual corroboration or evidence? And the state won’t identify the person? This is a throwback to the secret, star chamber prosecutions in England in the 15th century that were abolished. Like everything else with the state’s case and investigation, it’s full of sound and fury but signifying nothing.”
Image credit: Getty Images/John Lamparski
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