Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the former armorer for the film Rust who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the tragic shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has reached a plea deal in a separate felony case. Gutierrez-Reed, now 27, had been facing charges for bringing a firearm into a New Mexico bar on October 1, 2021.
In a court filing obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, September 4, her legal team confirmed that “the State of New Mexico and Defendant have reached a plea agreement.” As part of the agreement, Gutierrez-Reed will serve 18 months of probation, according to her attorney, Jason Bowles. The plea deal comes just before the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico was set to hear arguments from her defense team for dismissal of the charge.
The charge stems from an incident where Gutierrez-Reed allegedly concealed a firearm from bar security. Court documents filed in April revealed a video in which Gutierrez-Reed is seen showing a nickel-plated semi-automatic pistol after sneaking it into the bar. In the video, she reportedly made a statement bragging about bypassing security checks, saying, “They checked my purse, but they didn’t check my butt cheeks! ‘Wah wah wah,’” while holding the firearm in front of the camera.
Gutierrez-Reed was already serving an 18-month sentence at a New Mexico women’s correctional facility after her April sentencing in the Rust case. The sentence followed her conviction for involuntary manslaughter in March, related to the fatal accident on the set of the Western film, where a prop gun she had handled was loaded with live rounds. Actor Alec Baldwin, holding the gun at the time, accidentally discharged it, killing Hutchins, 42.
Though Baldwin’s criminal case was dismissed mid-trial in July, Gutierrez-Reed’s legal team has been seeking to either overturn her conviction or grant her a new trial, citing misconduct that came to light during Baldwin’s trial.
With the new plea agreement, Gutierrez-Reed will avoid further jail time for the separate firearm charge, instead serving her probation sentence alongside her previous penalties. The plea deal marks another chapter in the ongoing legal saga surrounding the Rust shooting and its aftermath.