Even people who don’t like Alec Baldwin might not blame him if he wanted to do some celebrating Friday, after a judge in New Mexico made the stunning decision to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charges against him mid-trial, allowing the veteran actor to escape a potential felony conviction and an 18-month prison sentence.
But a source speaking for Baldwin insisted to People magazine Monday that he and his influencer wife, Hilaria Baldwin, “didn’t celebrate.”
“It’s been a sad situation, and there is no winning here. They didn’t celebrate,” the source said emphatically. “They were very worried and are grateful now that they are able to spend the rest of the summer with their kids.”
TOPSHOT – US actor Alec Baldwin gets emotional at the conclusion of his trial on involuntary manslaughter at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 12, 2024. Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter was dismissed by a judge Friday after she ruled that key evidence over a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” had been withheld from the defense. (Photo by RAMSAY DE GIVE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by RAMSAY DE GIVE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
This statement is curious, considering it comes two days after TMZ posted a video showing Alec and Hilaria Baldwin at the bar at the luxury El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the trial took place. TMZ reported that the couple, Baldwin’s legal team and a camera crew, reportedly filming a documentary about the actor’s court case, repaired to the bar Friday afternoon, shortly after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer called an end to the trial, due to the late discovery of evidence that prosecutors allegedly buried.
Video obtained by TMZ shows Baldwin and his wife “partying” at the bar with his star attorneys, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, and some others. Sources told TMZ that the group hung out at the bar “for a few hours,” where Hilaria Baldwin was seen talking to someone as she fidgeted with her cell phone. The 66-year-old Baldwin and at least some of his group, notably his brother and sister, Stephen Baldwin and Beth Keuchler, were photographed heading to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a dinner to “celebrate his court victory,” People magazine also reported.
Earlier on Friday, Baldwin was seen bursting into tears in court as the judge explained her reasons for dismissing the involuntary manslaughter case against him “with prejudice” — meaning prosecutors cannot seek a retrial. The ruling must have come as a massive relief for him and his family. For nearly three years, he’s faced legal and career repercussions over the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the low-budget Western “Rust.” The “30 Rock” actor was handling a gun that discharged a live round, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – JULY 12: Hilaria Baldwin (R) speaks to her husband actor Alec Baldwin during his trial on involuntary manslaughter in First Judicial District Court on July 12, 2024 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin is charged in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021. (Photo by Ramsay de Give-Pool/Getty Images)
The source of the live round has long remained a mystery, as only dummy rounds were supposed to be on the set and loaded into prop weapons. But this mystery lay at the heart of the motion filed by Baldwins’ attorneys to dismiss the case, and Spiro and Nikas successfully argued on Friday that prosecutors failed to let them know, per rules of discovery, that “a Good Samaritan” had come to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s office in March to turn over ammunition that was possibly related to the case.
Given this legal victory, which got Baldwin off the hook as far as criminal charges, it’s understandable that he would want to unwind some with his wife, family, lawyers and friends. Still, a source close to the couple also told another outlet, Us Weekly, that they “did not celebrate.”
“Despite the ruling, it’s still a devastating situation,” the source said, adding, “They know more lies ahead.”
The couple’s representatives could be mindful that emotions continue to run very high over the case, given that a talented 42-year-old woman was killed and her young son was left without a mother.
Baldwin still faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Ukrainian cinematographer’s parents and sister, and reportedly still owes a portion of the multimillion settlement owed to Hutchins’ widower, who had earlier filed and settled another lawsuit against the actor and the other producers of “Rust.”
Famed attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Hutchins’ parents and sister, pointed out Saturday that the judge’s ruling “is in no way, shape, or form an exoneration” of Baldwin, Variety reported.
“It does not change the fact that Alec Baldwin killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust,’” she said. “It does not change the fact that he fired a loaded gun while pointing it at a human being.”
Allred also said the news of the dismissal was “devastating to the family in Ukraine who mourn (Halyna’s) loss every day,” CBS News reported. Allred said they intend to “fight to the end,” shifting the case to civil court, and are “dedicated” to holding Baldwin and the “entire Rust production accountable.”
“Our case is important, because we believe that everyone — yes, even celebrities like Alec Baldwin and producers — should follow accepted safety protocols so that all crew members have a safe workplace,” Allred said.
As for what the Baldwin source old Us Weekly about more “lying ahead” for the couple, it appears that they are allowing a camera crews to follow them around. During Friday’s bar gathering, there was a camera crew huddled in the corner, but it wasn’t clear if they were filming.
Alec and Hilaria are participating in at least two upcoming projects. The first is a documentary on the “Rust” shooting. For more than a year, Baldwin has been involved in the production of the film, directed by Rory Kennedy, a Kennedy family member who is said to be a Baldwin family friend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin also have promised fans that they will open up their private life to cameras for a TLC reality TV show called “The Baldwins,” which is due to air in 2025. The show will document their hectic existence as the parents of seven young children, ages 1 to 10.
When announcing the show last month, Baldwin said in a video announcement posted to his Instagram account: “We’re inviting you into our home to experience the ups and downs, the good, the bad, the wild and the crazy.”
