New Mexico judge rejects request to compel new testimony from movie armourer in Alec Baldwin trial

A New Mexico judge denied a request Friday to use immunity to compel testimony from a movie set armourer in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin who fatally shot a cinematographer during rehearsal for the Western movie 'Rust.'

A New Mexico judge denied a request Friday to use immunity to compel testimony from a movie set armourer in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin who fatally shot a cinematographer during rehearsal for the Western movie "Rust."

Armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the shooting of Halyna Hutchins on a movie-set ranch and she was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Her statements to investigators and workplace safety regulators will likely feature prominently in Baldwin's trial, scheduled for July.

Further testimony could be limited by the armourer's reluctance to testify, and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said Friday that other witnesses can fill in most of the gaps if she doesn't testify. At a pretrial interview in May, Gutierrez-Reed exercised her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer all questions.

"It's pretty clear that she does not intend to cooperate," Marlowe Sommer said. "I haven't heard of anything that she might testify to that someone else could not testify to."

But the judge acknowledged that Gutierrez-Reed could offer new testimony about gun-safety training and whether Baldwin fully participated.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey indicated that the state could still call on Gutierrez-Reed to testify without immunity. Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed both oppose efforts to compel her testimony.

Baldwin figured prominently at her trial, which highlighted gun-safety protocols and his authority as a co-producer and the lead actor on "Rust."