Following charges against him being dropped in the Rust shooting case, actor Alec Baldwin is seen in a new intimate photo cradling his wife, Hilaria. The picture was posted to Hilaria’s Instagram account and depicts Baldwin holding his wife in his lap as the two rest their heads on one another. The mother-of-seven did not write a caption on the photo but did include one red heart emoji.
The post comes a day after it was revealed that special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis — who were appointed to Baldwin’s case by New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies — confirmed that involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin would be dropped. The pair noted that “new facts” have surfaced which impacted their decision regarding the charges that Baldwin was facing. “Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation,” the prosecutors said in a statement.
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However, they added that the new decision does not “absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability,” which may indicate that charges could be refiled against the actor. It is also possible that he could face new charges at some point in the future. In response to the news, Baldwin’s lawyers — Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro — stated that they “are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
In October 2021, Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a prop gun that Baldwin was holding discharged. The gun was initially not believed to be loaded with live rounds. Director Joel Souza was non-fatally injured during the incident. On Jan. 19, 2023, it was announced that both Baldwin and the Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Notably, while charges against Baldwin have been dropped, the investigation will remain open due to Gutierrez-Reed still facing charges.
Baldwin previously had a couple of big pre-trail wins in the case. In late February, prosecutors dropped the firearms enhancement charge that was filed against the actor. Had the firearms charges remained, he could have been facing up to five years behind bars. Notably, the firearms enhancement charge against Gutierrez-Reed was also dropped.
