The weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of Rust has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed submitted the plea on Wednesday, the Guardian reported, and the trial will occur during the second week of December. If she is found guilty on both counts, Gutierrez Reed faces three years in prison.
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In April, prosecutors dropped their involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin after saying they encountered new evidence that complicated their investigation. Baldwin was holding the prop gun pointed at Hutchins when it went off and killed her, also injuring the film's director Joel Souza.
Baldwin was hit with the charges in January of this year for the February 2021 shooting. He faced up to 18 months in prison. He was accused of negligently firing his Colt .45 pistol on set. The actor said he had no idea the gun was loaded and didn't pull the trigger.
Gutierrez Reed is the lone defendant in the case that has puzzled investigators and demanded answers from the public. Prosecutors reportedly have said Reed acted recklessly when she loaded the gun on set and handed it to Baldwin, alleging she did not properly check all of the rounds to make sure they were dummies, possibly because she was hungover on the day of the shooting.
The evidence tampering charges are reportedly due to the fact that prosecutors believe Gutierrez Reed asked "another person to take possession of her narcotics" the day of the shooting.
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The death of the 42-year-old Hutchins prompted an outcry from the film community over what is believed to have been an avoidable incident, as well as from Hutchins's family, devastated over her death.
The film finished filming after moving from its original production in New Mexico. In addition to the civil and criminal lawsuits launched against him, Baldwin has been criticized for his response to the tragedy, with some claiming his actions have been "tone-deaf."