ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A Santa Fe judge gave former “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed the maximum sentence for her role in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

A jury convicted Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter last month after prosecutors argued Gutierrez-Reed’s carelessness allowed a real bullet to be fired on set, killing Hutchins and injuring a director.

KOB 4 was in the courtroom Monday when Gutierrez-Reed learned her punishment, and her attitude was a major theme.

Prosecutors argued Gutierrez-Reed’s reckless attitude towards her job on set lead to this tragedy. But they also pointed out her apparent lack of guilt following her own conviction was concerning as well.

It was clear Judge Mary Marlowe Summer wanted Gutierrez-Reed to take accountability for her actions today, but she didn’t.

“The word remorse – a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs. That’s not you,” said Judge Sommer. 

For the first time since she was charged with involuntary manslaughter following Hutchins’ death, Gutierrez-Reed spoke on her own behalf.

“First and foremost, my heart aches for the Hutchins family and friends and colleagues as well, and it has since the day this tragedy occurred,” said Gutierrez-Reed. “I am saddened by the way the media sensationalized our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster, which has actually been the total opposite of what’s been in my heart.” 

At no point did she directly apologize for her role in the tragedy. Her attorney told Judge Sommer she was remorseful, but she didn’t buy it.

“You said you were sorry, you were sorry, but not you were sorry for what you did,” Judge Sommer said. 

The people who knew Hutchins – including her agent – said Gutierrez-Reed was not the only person responsible for the tragedy.

“This was not a simple accident. It was a chain of events that led to the killing of someone, and that chain would have been broken if the armor was doing the job she was hired to do,” said Craig Mizrahi, Hutchins’ agent. 

But he’s only talking about what happened on set back in 2021. Court documents detailing Gutierrez-Reed’s nearly 200 jail phone calls following her conviction in early March added a new layer.

“Hannah says that people have accidents and people die, it’s an unfortunate part of life, but it doesn’t mean she should be in jail,” Judge Sommer said. 

Throughout the calls, Gutierrez-Reed reportedly also describes the jurors as “idiots,” blames the on-set medic for not being prepared, claims the judge is targeting her out of spite, and says jail is kind of like summer camp – even telling someone she’s having fun.

“It’s difficult to listen to the way that she’s speaking over the phone with being so flippant, and self concerned,” said Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey. 

Judge Sommer said those calls gave her the standing to impose the maximum sentence allowed – 18 months in a New Mexico prison.

“A conditional discharge is not appropriate, and the second option of leaving you in the detention center would be giving you a pass you do not deserve,” Judge Sommer said. “You alone, turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Mrs. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother. Please take her.”

While Monday was the first time we heard from Gutierrez-Reed herself, it was also the first time we heard from Hutchins’ mother and sister. Both submitted video messages from their homes in war torn Ukraine.

They both told the court they will never be the same after Hutchins’ death. They also say while no punishment will fully resolve this tragedy, they asked the judge to deliver the maximum sentence – which she did.

“She said, even as time passes, the wound and the pain that has been caused by what happened on that set of ‘Rust’ that took the life of her daughter has, it has not healed with time. But perhaps the fact that there has been some form of justice under the law will help a little bit,” said Attorney Gloria Allred.

The “Rust” saga is not over yet through. Alec Baldwin is also facing an involuntary manslaughter charge, and is scheduled to face a jury in New Mexico in July.