Hours after being told his involuntary manslaughter case had been dismissed, actor Alec Baldwin was seen in joyous mood at a hotel restaurant .
The Hollywood star, 66, had faced up to 18 months in prison if he had been found guilty of the charge following the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of movie Rust in October 2021. However, on Friday, just days into his trial, a judge dismissed the case against the actor after ruling that the state had unlawfully omitted material pertaining to how live rounds of ammunition ended up on the film set where the cinematographer was shot.
And Baldwin was clearly in the mood to celebrate the decision as he joined a small group of close friends and family, including wife Hilaria Baldwin , for drinks and dinner. The group was spotted at a hotel bar in New Mexico before the later enjoyed some Mexican food.
READ MORE: Alec Baldwin told family to visit New Mexico for 'good time' just hours after Rust shooting
READ MORE: Bombshells from Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case - 'hidden' evidence to storming out of court
The actor's attorneys - Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas – were also in attendance, as was the film team who was creating a documentary about the tragedy.
Sources claimed to TMZ that the filmmakers were huddled in a corner with a camera, but didn't make it clear whether there was any footage being filmed for the documentary.
During the get together, Baldwin seemed to be enjoying himself and was seen smiling and chatting to other guests. TMZ reports the group stayed together for a few hours before Baldwin went upstairs and came back down with his happy family to go grab a bite to eat.
Earlier on Friday, the judge's decision to halt proceeding s had sparked a wave of emotion through the courtroom. Baldwin himself was seen weeping in the arms of an adviser at the ruling.
Baldwin's attorneys had earlier moved to dismiss the case early as they claimed the prosecution withheld a crucial piece of evidence —a collection of bullets—from the defense. The discussion of exactly how live ammunition made it onto set set of the movie had been a crucial focus of the case, and Baldwin's attorneys had questioned the investigation and errors made by the authorities who processed the scene.
The court dismissed the jury in order to hear testimony from several witnesses, and one of the two special prosecutors overseeing the case resigned as a result of the motion.
As judge Mary Marlowe Sommer outlined her decision in detail, she said: "Dismissal with prejudice is a very extreme sanction. The case law is very clear that I have to make a very good record as to why I'm saying what I'm saying."
She added: "The state’s willful withholding of information was intentional and deliberate. There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and the prosecution failed to disclose the report the supplemental evidence to the defense and provide defense with the opportunity to inspect the [ammunition] collected into evidence.
"The suppressed evidence is favorable to the accused," she admitted.
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