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Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The armorer responsible for prop weapons on the set of the Alec Baldwin film Rust has pleaded not guilty to her charges related to the shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the 26-year-old armorer, pleaded not guilty to charges including involuntary manslaughter and waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, court documents show.
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Hutchins was killed in October 2021 when a gun handled by Baldwin during rehearsals fired a live round, which are typically banned on film sets.
Gutierrez-Reed also pleaded not guilty to new charges of evidence tampering added in June, which stem from allegations she passed a bag of cocaine to someone else to hold the day the gun was fired.
The trial is expected to start with jury selection on Dec. 5 and last for about two weeks. The trial date was set after a New Mexico judge denied a motion from the armorer's lawyer to dismiss the case.
Baldwin had been charged with involuntary manslaughter but his charges were dropped in April after prosecutors said evidence showed the gun had been modified in a way that would make it easier for the firearm to accidentally discharge.
Prosecutors have alleged Gutierrez-Reed was hungover when she loaded a live round into the revolver used by Baldwin. Witnesses had reported seeing her drinking heavily and smoking marijuana on set.
"Baldwin knew the first rule of gun safety is never point a gun at someone you don't intend on shooting," Robert Shilling, a special investigator for the case, has previously said. "This reckless deviation from known standards and practice and protocol directly caused the fatal shooting."
Andrea Reeb, a special prosecutor, has said that Hutchins would be alive today if Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls "had done their job."
Halls, the first assistant director, pleaded no contest to a charge of negligent handling of a weapon allowing him to avoid prison time.
