Prosecutors have charged Rust movie armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with tampering with evidence in connection with the fatal shooting of the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
In a court filing on Thursday, prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of transferring narcotics to another person on October 21, 2021, the day Ms Hutchins was shot, with the intent to “prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself”.
Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis provided no further information regarding the charge, which is in addition to an existing involuntary manslaughter charge.
Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, called the new charge “retaliatory and vindictive”.
Mr Bowles said the charge followed the prosecution’s move to fire its lead investigator Robert Shilling after Mr Shilling raised serious concerns about the investigation into Mr Hutchins’ death in an email Mr Bowles provided in a court filing.
Ms Hutchins died when a revolver actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with fired a live round.
Gutierrez-Reed told police she mistakenly loaded the live round into the revolver believing it to be a dummy round, according to a transcript of a police interview.
– AAP
