‘Rust’ Armorer Is Sentenced to 18 Months for Involuntary Manslaughter

The armorer on the film “Rust,” who loaded a live round into a revolver that went off on the set in 2021 and killed its cinematographer, was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

The sentence was the maximum that the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, could receive.

In her manslaughter trial last month, prosecutors argued that Ms. Gutierrez-Reed had been repeatedly reckless in her job of managing weapons and ammunition, directly causing the tragedy on Oct. 21, 2021, when the gun that Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing from his shoulder holster fired a live bullet, killing the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

Mr. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge. His trial is scheduled for July, though a judge is currently weighing a motion from his defense to dismiss the indictment.

The sentencing by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer came after prosecutors released summaries of calls that Ms. Gutierrez-Reed had made from jail, where she was sent after her conviction.

Prosecutors used the calls, during which Ms. Gutierrez-Reed calls the jurors in her case “idiots,” to argue that she should receive the highest possible sentence. The call summaries include Ms. Gutierrez-Reed saying that the judge was on a “power trip” and alleging, without evidence, that the judge was “getting paid off.”

Judge Marlowe Sommer said during the hearing that giving Ms. Gutierrez-Reed less than the full sentence would be a “pass” that she did not deserve, citing the jail calls as evidence of a lack of remorse.