The manslaughter trial in the “Rust” shooting will start on December 6 as Armorer enters a not guilty plea, according to a New Mexico judge.
Sets Trial to December 6 as Armorer Enters a Not Guilty Plea
The 26-year-old Hannah Gutierrez Reed is accused of tampering with evidence and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the unintentional shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. If found guilty, she may spend up to three years in prison. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, however, enters a not guilty plea since, according to the law, she is presumed innocent unless and until the prosecution can establish her guilt.
On Wednesday, Gutierrez Reed formally waived her right to an arraignment by enters a not guilty plea in writing. She had previously given up the chance to challenge the allegations at a preliminary hearing. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a Rust armorer, requested that the accusations against her be dropped and she enters a not guilty plea in light of recent media statements made by the prosecution, but Santa Fe judge refused her motion today.
The defense claimed that the state’s claims that Gutierrez-Reed was maybe “hung over” on the day of the on set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 and was allegedly attempting to hide cocaine from investigators were legally problematic due to structural and jurisdictional problems. According to the lawyers, these utterances might taint potential jurors in the case and that is why the defendant enters a not guilty plea.
The Witness Will Testify that Gutierrez-Reed Gave Them a Small Bag of Narcotic Drugs
The application for an order of protection was withdrawn by the prosecution when it claimed that a witness no longer needed one. The witness was prepared to state that Gutierrez-Reed provided them a tiny bag of drugs when the latter returned from a police station questioning. According to state prosecutors, Gutierrez-Reed did distribute drugs to a third party with the intention of avoiding being apprehended, prosecuted, or convicted herself. All of the evidence was shown, still Gutierrez-Reed enters a not guilty plea.
The prosecution claims that Gutierrez-Reed obstructed the inquiry with this action. Furthermore, according to the state, Gutierrez-Reed consumed alcohol and marijuana the night before and may have been feeling groggy when she loaded the prop gun. The following court date for Gutierrez-Reed is from December 6 to December 15.
