'Rust' on-set armorer will be allowed to have a gun in her home for 'self-protection' after receiving threats
- "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed can keep a gun at home for protection, Deadline reported.
- Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer cited threats she received in the aftermath of the fatal "Rust" shooting.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 25, the armorer for "Rust," will be allowed to have a gun in her home, according to Deadline.
The outlet reported that the New Mexico judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled on Friday that one of Gutierrez-Reed's conditions of release allowed her a firearm for "self-defense" during a virtual hearing.
Friday marked the first hearing in the criminal case since the fatal October 2021 on-set shooting of "Rust" Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer for "Rust."
In January, police charged Gutierrez-Reed and "Rust" star Alec Baldwin were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death. While on set, Baldwin was handed a gun, which he fired, fatally wounding Hutchins and injuring Joel Souza, the project's director. Production paused days after the incident and is set to resume this spring, according to Deadline.
During the hearing, Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, said that his client received an onslaught of threats and filed a restraining order against a stalker after the Santa Fe Sheriff's office released private information about her, Deadline reported.
Per Deadline, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies objected to the firearm request. According to the outlet, Carmack-Altwies cited "Hannah's sloppy mishandling of firearms" as a reason to deny her a gun, and suggested she use "pepper spray or a bat" to protect herself.
In addition to granting Gutierrez-Reed's request for a gun, Sommer ordered that she not have any contact with potential witnesses to the case, including former "Rust" crew members, Deadline reported.
According to CBS News, Bowles said his client will plead not guilty, but Sommer did not take the plea during Friday's virtual court hearing.
Deadline reported that Baldwin waived his right to appear in court on Friday after pleading not guilty on Tuesday. Since Baldwin will continue filming "Rust" in March, the court ruled that he can communicate with crew members on the DA's witness list, according to Deadline.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed's initial charges came with an enhancement of a mandatory five years in prison, if found guilty. Their legal representation argued those charges were "unconstitutional" and the district attorney removed the enhancement on Monday.
On Wednesday, Insider reported that emails from early February showed a prosecutor admitting it was "100 percent" wrong to upgrade the charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are now facing felony charges with the possibility of up to 18 months in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine if found guilty, Deadline reported.