The weapons expert charged in connection to the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" denied Thursday she was impaired the day a live round was inexplicably loaded into a prop gun.
Prosecutors last week said "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was likely "hungover" the day Alec Baldwin was handed the gun he used on the New Mexico set of the western movie.
"In response to a motion concerning prejudicial pretrial publicity the new special prosecutors have 'doubled down' and intentionally raised irrelevant inflammatory arguments in a further attempt to have the public unfairly prejudge this case against Hannah," according to a filing by defense lawyer Jason Bowles.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot on Oct. 21, 2021, with the gun handled by actor Alec Baldwin.
"No witness has ever said that Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was hungover on the day of the shooting," Bowles wrote.
"These allegations have been widely reported across the country, causing extreme prejudice to Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, yet not one witness has been identified to date who would say that Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was hungover."
The defense restated its call for involuntary manslaughter charges against Gutierrez-Reed to be dropped.
"It has persisted through false and inflammatory pretrial statements, failures to provide exculpatory evidence, and having prosecutors take important actions while lacking all jurisdiction to do so," according to her attorney. "This case is fatally tainted, for all the reasons discussed herein and in the original motion and must be dismissed."
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey defended her office's work and the case it's building against the defendant.
"Ms. Gutierrez-Reed is not being treated unfairly. The State will continue to act ethically and fairly in the prosecution of this case," Morrissey said in a statement to NBC News on Friday afternoon.
"Ms. Gutierrez-Reed is not the victim in this case and the State will continue to prosecute Ms. Gutierrez-Reed for the death of a talented young cinematographer who leaves behind a husband and young son."
Charges against Baldwin were dropped, without prejudice, in April. Filming of the western was completed in Montana.
