A "Rust" weaponsmith is hoping for release
Approximately three years ago, a camera woman died on the set of "Rust." Last week, the court dismissed the subsequent trial against actor Alec Baldwin. Now, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the convicted armorer, is requesting that her sentence be overturned as well.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, claims that she was also subjected to the same prosecutorial misconduct that caused the trial against Baldwin to collapse last week. In a July 16 filing, Bowles stated that he had received crucial evidence since Gutierrez-Reed's conviction that should have been disclosed before the trial.
Bowles also requested Gutierrez-Reed's release from prison and the removal of Special District Attorney Kari Morrissey from the case due to misconduct. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has expressed her continued support for Morrissey.
Last Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer determined that the state's withholding of evidence justified the prejudicial dismissal of Baldwin's manslaughter trial. "How can it be any different in Ms. Gutierrez-Reed's case with this proven litany of serious misuse of evidence?", argued Bowles in the filing. "The intentional withholding of critical evidence by the state threatened the integrity of the entire judicial proceeding."
According to industry magazine "Variety," the "Rust" production designer now alleges that she was exposed to the same prosecutorial misconduct that caused the Baldwin trial to fall apart last week. In a July 16 court filing, her attorney Jason Bowles stated that he had received significant evidence since her conviction that should have been disclosed before the trial.
Bowles also requested Gutierrez-Reed's release from prison and the removal of Special District Attorney Kari Morrissey from the case due to misconduct. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has expressed her continued support for Morrissey.
Last Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the state's withholding of evidence justified the prejudicial dismissal of Baldwin's manslaughter trial. "How can it be any different in Ms. Gutierrez-Reed's case with this proven litany of serious misuse of evidence?", argued Bowles in the filing. "The intentional withholding of critical evidence by the state threatened the integrity of the entire judicial proceeding."
- The entertainment industry, including Hollywood, has been closely following the developments in the "Rust" case, as the production designer's attorney also accuses the prosecution of withholding crucial evidence, similar to the allegations made against them in Alec Baldwin's trial.
- The ongoing discussions in the legal community revolve around the potential impact of the judgments in the "Rust" case on future death cases in the entertainment industry, as the process of seeking justice for the fatal incident on set continues to unfold.
- As celebrity trials like that of Alec Baldwin make headlines in Hollywood, some questioning the fairness of the legal process in death cases within the entertainment industry, many are hoping that a thorough review of the "Rust" case will lead to much-needed reforms and prevent future tragedies.
