Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will remain behind bars, according to a decision filed by the judge overseeing the “Rust” movie armorer’s case on Monday.
“With respect to the Defendant’s arguments concerning her request for release pending appeal, the Court finds that Defendant has not established by clear and convincing evidence that Defendant is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released,” stated the decision rendered by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer and obtained by NBC News.
o Judge Sommer ruled that Reed’s conviction still holds even though the judge previously determined that the prosecution suppressed evidence in the involuntary manslaughter case against “Rust” star and producer Alec Baldwin.
Reed, who was the armorer on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison for the killing of the film’s cinematographer, Haylna Hutchins.
The judge’s decision comes as a result of Reed’s attorneys filing a motion to dismiss the charge against her following the stunning mid-trial dismissal of Baldwin’s charges in July.
During Baldwin’s trial, it was revealed that a friend of Reed’s stepfather, Troy Teske, a former police officer had turned in Colt .45 rounds that were claimed to have been from the Western film set to Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. But instead of the sheriff’s office filing it with their existing evidence or alerting Baldwin’s legal team, it was catalogued separately with the go-ahead being given by New Mexico special prosecutor Kari Morrissey.
For this reason, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed Baldwin’s case saying New Mexico prosecutors had failed to disclose the evidence, making it a violation of the Brady Law.
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy,” Sommer said of her decision at the time.
Morrissey, has since asked the judge to reconsider dismissing the case against Baldwin.
NBC News has reached out to Reed’s legal team, and New Mexico prosecutors for comment.
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