Alec Baldwin beamed with happiness as he stepped out to a New Mexico restaurant hours after his manslaughter trial was dismissed.
The actor, 66, was joined by actor brother Stephen as he headed to the Casa Chimayo Restaurant to celebrate the moment.
Baldwin’s wife Hilaria appeared noticeably absent from the party, after she was a mainstay by her husband’s side throughout the trial.
When the case was dismissed early Friday evening, she was seen embracing Baldwin for some time as he broke down in tears at the result.
Alec Baldwin wore a large grin across his face as he stepped out to a New Mexico restaurant to celebrate his manslaughter trial being dismissed
Baldwin, 66, was joined by his actor brother Stephen and several others at the post-trial party – although his wife Hilaria appeared to be noticeably absent
Baldwin’s case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot bring the same charges against him in the case and the trial is permanently dismissed.
Although he has civil court cases pending, Baldwin appeared relieved as he celebrated having the criminal raps dropped over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
The 66-year-old stepped out onto the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico hours after the decision was read, wearing a black t-shirt, blue blazer and blue slacks.
Alec received cheers from fans as he and a group walked towards the restaurant, and he was seen flashing a thumbs up at his supporters.
His actor brother Stephen, who appeared in hits including The Usual Suspects and Born on the Fourth of July, joined Alec at the restaurant, with a Lululemon bag in tow.
Around an hour after Alec’s case was dismissed, Stephen took to Instagram to share a cryptic religious message, showing a speaker talk of how ‘the whole court system can condemn you for the rest of your life.’
Stephen kept things casual in a blue t-shirt and grey pants, and the two were joined by three others inside the restaurant.
Alec received cheers from fans as he and a group walked towards the restaurant, and he was seen waving and flashing a thumbs up at his supporters
Alec’s brother Stephen kept things casual in a blue t-shirt and grey pants with a Lululemon bag in tow
Baldwin appeared carefree as he strolled into a Mexican restaurant wearing a black t-shirt, blue blazer and blue slacks
While Alec appeared carefree as he readied to dine out at the Mexican restaurant, the widow of the only person to be convicted in the Rust case spoke out about the sensational turnaround.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted earlier this year of involuntary manslaughter and received an 18-month sentence, the same as what Alec was facing if he was found guilty.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, legendary Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, 81, said his daughter Hannah has been made a ‘scapegoat’ over the tragic shooting.
Legendary Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, 81, said his daughter Hannah’s case should be thrown out after Alec Baldwin’s trial on the same charges was dismissed
Reed said: ‘Well, I think that’s good [Baldwin’s dismissal]. I think Hannah’s case should also be dismissed.
‘There’s a lot of evidence that hasn’t been heard at all. They suppressed all the important evidence and I guess [Baldwin’s] attorneys brought it out.’
Hannah, 27, is currently serving her sentence at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility and had been due to be called to the stand to testify in Baldwin’s case.
Reed told DailyMail.com he hopes the tossing of Baldwin’s case will now give his daughter grounds to appeal her own conviction and said she has been made a scapegoat by prosecutors.
He added: ‘It should [be grounds for an appeal]. She didn’t do anything wrong. They’ve absolutely made her a scapegoat.’
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed wipes her tears at her sentencing on April 15, 2024, where she was ordered to serve 18-months in prison
The Rust armorer poses for mugshot after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter
Baldwin’s case was sensationally dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecution had withheld key evidence that ‘impacted the fundamental fairness of the case.’
The extraordinary decision came after a day-long hearing without the jury present over bullets that should have been in evidence, which Baldwin’s lawyers claimed were ‘concealed’ from them and ‘buried’ in another case file.
During the ill-tempered and chaotic hearing on Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer asked for the bullets to be brought into court where – in unusual scenes – she put on gloves and inspected them herself.
Baldwin’s lawyer Luke Nikas told the court that the bullets were brought to police in Santa Fe in March this year by former police officer Troy Teske, who claimed they were the same kind that were used to shoot Hutchins.
Baldwin’s attorney Nikas claimed that prosecutors ‘buried’ the bullets as evidence by giving it a different case number to the main Rust investigation.
As a result, when Baldwin’s lawyers went to the police to view all the Rust ammunition in April, they were not shown it, a breach of evidentiary rules.