New Mexico
New Mexico judge to weigh whether 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez should be freed
One month after dismissing Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charges in the deadly “Rust” shooting, a New Mexico judge has indicated she will consider whether weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez also should be set free — or given a new trial.
After a two-week trial, Gutierrez was convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Gutierrez has acknowledged loading the gun that day. Prosecutors contend she brought the live bullets with her to the “Rust” movie set near Santa Fe, N.M., in October 2021 — an allegation that Gutierrez has consistently denied.
The prosecution has been in turmoil since Baldwin’s case collapsed in July amid revelations that Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies and a special prosecutor had withheld potential evidence from the actor-producer’s lawyers.
The admission — which came on the third day of the actor’s high-profile trial in Santa Fe — stunned the judge and New Mexico’s legal community.
New Mexico First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer was furious with deputies and the special prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, for allegedly withholding possible evidence that could have been helpful to Baldwin’s case.
A retired police officer from Arizona had turned over cartridges to deputies in March, saying they might match the fatal bullet in the “Rust” shooting that killed cinematographer Hutchins.
But deputies assigned the bag of evidence a different case number than that used for “Rust” shooting evidence, making it impossible for Baldwin’s team to find the bullets as they sifted through the sheriff’s files and boxes of evidence to prepare for the actor’s trial.
After the case against Baldwin was dismissed, Gutierrez’s Albuquerque lawyer, Jason Bowles, filed a motion to get Gutierrez released from the New Mexico women’s prison, where she is currently serving an 18-month sentence for the felony conviction.
In a motion, Bowles argued that Morrissey — who was the special prosecutor for Gutierrez’s case — also withheld evidence in advance of the Gutierrez trial, including a recorded interview with weapons provider Seth Kenney, who was a key prosecution witness. Bowles asked for a new trial or dismissal of Gutierrez’s case due to alleged “severe and ongoing discovery violations by the state.”
“There can be no legitimate debate that the state violated Ms. Gutierrez‘s due process rights,” Bowles wrote, asking the judge to “order a new trial or dismissal of the case for egregious prosecutorial misconduct. The Court should also order Ms. Gutierrez’s release.”
On Tuesday, Marlowe Sommer scheduled a Sept. 27 hearing to decide whether Gutierrez should be released or given a new trial.
Morrissey has denied the allegations of misconduct and has opposed the motion for a new trial.
She noted that Bowles was aware of the ammunition cartridges provided to deputies in March, the disputed evidence in the Baldwin case.
The former police officer, Troy Teske, who brought the bullets to New Mexico, is a close friend of Gutierrez’s father, Hollywood gun handler Thell Reed. Morrissey has said the bullets were not relevant because they were in Arizona, not New Mexico, at the time of the “Rust” shooting.
Teske was in Santa Fe in March in case he was called as a defense witness. But Bowles did not call Teske to testify.
LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) – A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck in southern Colorado near the New Mexico border Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with shocks felt as far as Pueblo.
According to the USGS, around 10:45 a.m., an earthquake struck near Weston at a depth of 8.7 km.
USGS said weak shaking could be felt as far as southern Pueblo and Monte Vista, with the shaking measured at an intensity level 3.
USGS said it estimates a 28% chance that an aftershock greater than 3.0 can be felt again within the next week.
Copyright 2026 KKTV. All rights reserved.
The All-American Rejects played a pop-up show in a former alfalfa field in the South Valley after telling fans the location just hours before the concert.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A former alfalfa field in the South Valley served as the venue for one of the most highly-anticipated concerts of the year in New Mexico Wednesday night, although no one knew exactly where it would take place until a few hours before showtime.
The All-American Rejects, the band behind hits such as “Move Along” and “Dirty Little Secret” said they were coming to the Albuquerque area for a concert, but only fans who signed up for an alert received the exact location, and that didn’t come down until 5:55 p.m. Wednesday.
It’s part of the band’s free “House Party” concert series, which features performances in barns and backyards instead of more traditional venues in an effort to fight back against rising concert ticket prices.
“The whole tour, the message we’re trying to get across is what’s happened with concerts in general. It’s become a one-percenters club to have access to the one commodity we need for togetherness, which is music,” said Tyson Ritter, the lead singer and bassist for the band.
The owners of the property couldn’t believe their luck when they were selected. Jackeline and Thomas Ingham told KOB 4 their family’s properties in the South Valley have been used for weddings in the past, but certainly never for a major concert.
“And I thought it was a scam, so I hung up,” said Jackeline Ingham when asked about how the band’s manager reached out to her to set up the concert. “So, [my husband] is like, ‘Call her back!’ So, he ended up talking the rest of the way with her.”
Throughout the day, many fans of the All-American Rejects across New Mexico were trying to guess where the band might show up later in the evening.
“I thought it was either gonna be at Ex Novo, New Mexico United, or just somewhere in the South Valley because that’s what Reddit said all day,” said Brooke Palmer.
Fans within a 124-mile (200 km) radius were able to receive the band’s concert alert.
It ended with thousands of fans flocking to the area, and just before 8:30 p.m., an announcement was made saying the venue was at capacity, forcing many to leave.
Others remained outside the main gate trying to get the best view they could from afar.
But the band was ultimately happy with the former alfalfa field that was quickly turned into a concert stage.
“Well, this is number four. And this feels like this is the example,” said Ritter ahead of the show. “This is what a house party is. Right here, man. We’ve got a beautiful field, an incredibly generous host, the weather is with us.”
-
Illinois9 minutes agoIllinois fines multiple Springfield-area nursing homes
-
Indiana15 minutes agoRepublican primary voters sent dangerous message to America | Opinion
-
Iowa21 minutes agoHarkin backs Turek for Iowa Senate
-
Kansas27 minutes ago
Kansas Lottery Pick 3, 2 By 2 winning numbers for May 7, 2026
-
Kentucky33 minutes agoReal estate sales in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties, Oct. 20-26, 2025
-
Louisiana39 minutes agoBehind the Curtain: How Louisiana’s Parole System and Courts Shape Who Goes Free | The Lens
-
Maine45 minutes agoShenna Bellows will fight for Maine as governor | Opinion
-
Maryland51 minutes agoHow mighty megalodon rose from extinction to be Maryland state shark