Even individuals who don't like Alec Baldwin probably wouldn't blame him for wanting to have a good time Friday after a New Mexico judge made the surprise decision to drop manslaughter charges mid-trial, allowing the veteran actor to avoid a possible felony conviction and 18 months in prison.
But a source that speaks for Baldwin emphasized to People magazine Monday that he and his influential wife Hilaria Baldwin, “didn't have a good time.”
“It was a sad situation and there is no winning here. They were not celebrating,” the source said emphatically. “They were very worried and are now grateful that they can spend the rest of the summer with their children.”
This statement is strange considering it got here two days ago after TMZ posted a video shows Alec and Hilaria Baldwin on the bar of the luxurious El Dorado hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the trial was going down. TMZ reported that the couple, Baldwin's legal team and a camera crew reportedly filming a documentary in regards to the actor's court case went to the bar on Friday afternoon, shortly after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ended the trial as a consequence of the late discovery of evidence that prosecutors allegedly suppressed.
A video obtained by TMZ shows Baldwin and his wife “partying” on the bar together with his star attorneys Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas and a number of other others. Sources told TMZ that the group frolicked on the bar for “a couple of hours,” where Hilaria Baldwin was seen talking to someone while fidgeting with her cellular phone. Baldwin, 66, and a minimum of a few of his group, specifically his brother and sister Stephen Baldwin and Beth Keuchler, were photographed heading to a close-by Mexican restaurant for dinner to “celebrate his court victory.” People magazine also reported.
Earlier Friday, Baldwin was seen in court breaking down in tears because the judge outlined her reasons for dismissing the manslaughter charge against him “with prejudice” – meaning prosecutors cannot seek a retrial. The verdict will need to have been an enormous relief for him and his family. For nearly three years, he had struggled with the legal and skilled consequences of the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the low-budget western “Rust” in New Mexico. The “30 Rock” actor was holding a gun from which a live bullet was fired, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The source of the live ammunition long remained a mystery, with only blanks reportedly present on set loaded into prop guns. But that mystery was at the center of the Baldwins' lawyers' motion to dismiss the case, and Spiro and Nikas successfully argued Friday that prosecutors did not inform them under disclosure rules that “a good Samaritan” had come to the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office in March to drop off ammunition which will have been related to the case.
Given this legal victory that cleared Baldwin of criminal charges, it’s comprehensible that he would wish to chill out together with his wife, family, lawyers and friends. However, a source near the couple also said: told one other media outlet, Us Weekly, that they “didn’t celebrate”.
“Despite the verdict, the situation is still devastating,” the source said, adding: “They know there is more to come.”
The couple's representatives might be aware that the case continues to generate great emotion, as a talented 42-year-old woman was killed and her young son was left motherless.
Baldwin still faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Ukrainian cameraman's parents and sister, and he reportedly still owes a part of the multimillion-dollar compensation payment to Hutchins' widower, who previously filed and settled one other lawsuit against the actor and the opposite producers of “Rust.”
Well-known attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Hutchins' parents and sister, identified on Saturday that the judge's ruling “in no way exonerates” Baldwin. Variety reported.
“It doesn't change the fact that Alec Baldwin killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust,'” she said. “It doesn't 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 for the family in Ukraine who mourn (Halyna’s) loss every day,” CBS News reportedAllred said they intend to “fight to the end,” take the case to civil court and are “determined” to carry 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 recognized safety protocols to ensure that all crew members have a safe workplace,” Allred said.
As for further updates on the couple, Baldwin's source told Us Weekly, they appear to be allowing camera crews to follow them around. During Friday's bar party, a camera crew was huddled in a corner, however it wasn't clear in the event that they were filming.
Alec and Hilaria are involved in a minimum of two upcoming projects. The first is a documentary in regards to the filming of Rust. Baldwin has been involved within the production of the film for greater than a yr. It might be directed by Rory Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy family who is claimed to be a friend of the Baldwin family. in response to The Hollywood Reporter.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have also promised their fans that they are going to share their personal lives for the TLC reality TV show “The Baldwins,” which is ready to air in 2025. The show will document their hectic lives as parents of seven young children, ages 1 to 10.
Announcing the show last month, Baldwin said in a video posted to his Instagram account: “We invite you into our house to experience the highs and the lows, the good, the bad, the wild and the crazy.”
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