Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin have spoken out after charges of involuntary manslaughter against him were dropped (Picture: @alecbaldwininsta)
Alec Baldwin has spoken out for the first time since charges of involuntary manslaughter against him were dropped.
The actor, 64, had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins died in October 2021 on the set of his film production Rust, after the gun Baldwin was holding accidentally discharged, shooting and killing the mother-of-one.
Baldwin has always maintained that he wasn’t aware that the weapon contained a live round, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As production on Rust resumed this week, and just weeks before a preliminary hearing into the charges was due to begin, it was reported by Deadline that the charges had been dropped.
The father-of-seven, who recently welcomed his sixth child with wife Hilaria Baldwin, has now praised his wife – and his lawyer – after the charges were dropped.
Baldwin shared a snap of him with wife Hilaria as he said he owed ‘everything he had’ to her (Picture: @alecbaldwininsta)
Taking to Instagram, he shared an old photograph of him and his wife out in what appeared to be a restaurant together, writing: ‘I owe everything I have to this woman.’
And, referencing his lawyer Luke Nikas, he added: ‘(and to you, Luke).’
Hilaria, meanwhile, shared a more recent photograph of Baldwin holding her on his lap as they leaned against each other with their eyes closed, captioning it with a simple heart emoji.
Hilaria shared a photograph of Baldwin holding her as the news broke the charges had been dropped (Picture: Hilaria Baldwin/ Instagram)
Hutchins was killed while working on the set of Rust when a gun held by Baldwin went off (Picture: Getty Images for AMC Networks)
Reports emerged on Thursday that special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis – who have only recently been appointed – will be submitting paperwork to dismiss the charges without prejudice.
However, they can still re-file the case at a later point in their investigation.
Baldwin’s lawyers told Metro.co.uk in a statement: ‘We 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.’
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The production’s armourer, Hannah Guttierez-Reed, was also facing involuntary manslaughter charges and had pleaded not guilty.
Deadline reports that these have not been dropped, meaning the probe has been ‘kept open’.
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MORE : Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charges dropped as Rust production resumes
The charges were dropped weeks before a preliminary trial was due to begin.