(NewsNation) — Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor in the Alec Baldwin film “Rust,” was charged Thursday with evidence tampering.
Gutierrez-Reed was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the New Mexico set in October 2021.
According to a new court filing, Gutierrez-Reed allegedly passed drugs to someone else on the day of the shooting, intending to prevent her own apprehension, prosecution, or conviction.
Special prosecutors appointed in the case gave no further details in a Santa Fe County court filing.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer Jason Bowles called the charge retaliatory.
“It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, with no prior notice or any witness statements, lab reports, or evidence to support it,” Bowles said in a statement.
Gutierrez-Reed is the only remaining defendant in the case after charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin were dropped.
Prosecutors can still refile charges against Baldwin.
The new charge follows allegations that Gutierrez-Reed was drinking and smoking marijuana during the filming and was potentially hungover on the day of the incident.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer claims the prosecution’s case is weak and has accused them of withholding evidence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.