Prosecutors in the trial for the weapons expert on the set of the Western movie "Rust" say in new court filings that she likely had a hangover when she put a live bullet into a set gun handled by actor Alec Baldwin that killed a cinematographer.
The filing says that witnesses will testify that the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was "drinking heavily and smoking marijuana in the evenings" while the movie was being filmed, near Santa Fe, New Mexico, reports NBC. Gutierrez-Reed faces charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin had also faced involuntary manslaughter charges, but they were dismissed in April, with prosecutors citing "new facts" that came after further investigation.
The actor had denied pulling the trigger and his attorneys praised the decision to drop the case, which would allow a "proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident."
In their filing, the prosecutors said Guiterrez-Reed was likely "hungover when she inserted a live bullet into a gun that she knew was going to be used at some point by an actor while filming a shooting scene with other actors and crew members."
Their filing came last Friday after a motion to dismiss her case. Her attorneys argued that the prosecution was based on personal and political motivations and that their client was being treated differently than others.
Prosecutors, though, argued that she is being "appropriately prosecuted" because it was her job to ensure gun safety on the set and "her reckless failure resulted in the senseless death of another human being."
"All [she] needed to do was shake every bullet and make sure it rattled before putting it in the gun," the prosecution claims. "She failed and killed someone."
The filing further claims that Gutierrez-Reed has a “history of reckless conduct that has resulted in the loss of human life," so she must be held accountable.
One of her attorneys, Jason Bowles, told NBC News, however, that the prosecution has mishandled the case. He said the case against his client is "so weak" that "they are now resorting to character assassination tactics to further taint the jury pool."
He also accused the prosecution of seeking a "convenient scapegoat" rather than seeking justice.
Gutierrez-Reed is scheduled to face a preliminary hearing in August to determine if there is enough probable cause to move forward.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.