Alec Baldwin is ‘devastated’ as he faces charges of involuntary manslaughter – and he and wife Hilaria are ‘leaning on each other’: ‘She has been his rock and to see him so distraught is heartbreaking for her’

• ‘Hilaria has been Alec’s rock throughout all of this, and to see him so distraught is heartbreaking for her,’ the source said, adding ‘nothing can prepare you for this’
• Baldwin, 64, was seen for the first time on Friday since vowing to fight the charges over the death of Halina Hutchins, 42, on the set of Rust in Oct, 2021
• Baldwin covered his face with a dossier as he made his way into an NYC office 

Alec Baldwin is ‘devastated’ that he is facing involuntary manslaughter charges, a source has revealed, and the actor and his wife Hilaria are ‘leaning on each other.’

‘They were prepared for all outcomes, but nothing can quite prepare you for this,’ the source told People. ‘They are really leaning on each other and trying to keep their focus on the kids.’

‘Hilaria has been Alec’s rock throughout all of this, and to see him so distraught is heartbreaking for her,’ the source said, adding that Hilaria, ‘is doing whatever she can to support him and they’re doing their best to stay strong for the kids.’

Baldwin, 64, was seen for the first time on Friday since vowing to fight the charges over the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halina Hutchins on the set of Rust in New Mexico in October, 2021.

Wearing a black suit, the star covered his face as he entered a building in Hells Kitchen

His wife Hilaria attempted to talk to the press as her husband made a dash for another car, in a bid to avoid the media 

He made a panicked dash into a car from his Manhattan apartment and was later seen going into an office building in the city where he tried to cover his face with letters after emerging from the vehicle. 

Baldwin has not commented on the charges but last night liked an Instagram post by fellow actor Mickey Rourke who wrote there was ‘no way in hell’ he should face charges.

Hilaria, 39, left their luxury apartment building in Manhattan separately this morning with several of their children – clutching two coffees.

She wore a green Mayfair Group sweatshirt with ‘EMPATHY’ – worth $108 – emblazoned on the front, as she looked pale and donned large dark glasses to cover her face.

Just yesterday, she was seen wearing a beige hoodie with ‘HUMAN’ embroidered on the front, glaring and looking stony-faced as she collected her children from their driver on Thursday.

Before the announcement, she was all smiles, dripping in diamonds as she left on Thursday morning, clutched her cell phone in one hand with a coffee cup.

Wearing a faux-fur bomber jacket, her signature leather-look workout leggings, and oversized sunglasses, the mother-of-seven finished her look with a pair of $300, pearl and rhinestone-encrusted slippers from Spanish brand Alameda Turquesa. 

Hilaria, who married the Oscar-nominated actor in 2012, was spotted earlier on Thursday – before charges were announced – taking their children to school. 

As she left to collect them later that afternoon, her expression had notably changed.

It comes as sources say the production of Rust will still take place despite the charges, with Baldwin in the leading role.

Joel Souza will return to his role of director, with on-set safety supervisors and union crew members. 

Lawyers for Baldwin say that he will contest the charges, insisting he cannot be held responsible for the prop guns on set, which were the responsibility of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed – who is also set to be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The film’s assistant director, Dave Halls, pleaded guilty to negligence and received a six-month suspended sentence. 

Halyna Hutchins was shot dead on October 21, 2021, by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust 

The gun from the set of Rust, which was accidentally fired, killing Hutchins

Alec Baldwin is seen on October 21, 2021, after speaking to investigators about the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin’s phone is now being sought by the team probing Hutchins’s death 

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe prosecutor, tore into him Baldwin while announcing the charges, saying ‘an actor doesn’t get free pass’ as she insisted he did pull the trigger on the gun that killed Hutchins.

Prosecutors say that they are ‘confident’ that they will obtain convictions, with special attorney Andrea Reeb adding: ‘We felt very confident that it was going to be a criminal case pretty close to the beginning, once we started looking at everything.

‘I’m sure he was confident he wasn’t going to get charged. But he isn’t above the law and he is somebody who committed a crime, and we’re going to hold him to the law, hold him accountable.’

He and Gutierrez-Reed are facing a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

If they are also convicted of a firearm enhancement on that charge, they will face a mandatory five-year prison sentence.

In a statement, Baldwin’s attorney said: ‘This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set.

In a statement, Baldwin’s attorney said: ‘This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.

‘Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set.

‘He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.’

Carmack-Altwies told CNN they concluded Baldwin did pull the trigger – and that he ran a ‘fast and loose set’ that was plagued with safety issues.

‘There was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set. There were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with dummy rounds.

‘Nobody was checking those or at least they weren’t checking them consistently.

‘They somehow got loaded into a gun, handed off to Alec Baldwin, he didn’t check it, he didn’t do what he was supposed to do to make sure he was safe or make sure anyone else was safe.

‘He pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and he pulled the trigger,’ she said.’

She said a ‘totality of the circumstances’ led to the decision, adding: ‘This was a really fast and loose set. And that nobody was doing their job.’

Her appearance comes after Mickey Rourke sprung to Alec’s defence, insisting there was ‘no way in hell’ he should face charges over the on-set shooting of the Rust camerawoman.

Mickey Rourke (left) on Thursday insisted that his friend Alec Baldwin (right) should not be charged over the October 2021 shooting of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins

Rourke, 70, who in 2016 appeared on Baldwin’s podcast, said it was wrong to prosecute the Oscar-nominated actor.

Posting on Instagram, he said: ‘I usually never put my 2 cents in about what happens on someone’s movie set.’

‘It’s a terrible tragedy what happened to a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

‘But no way in hell actor Alec Baldwin should be charged with any negligence whatsoever.’

Baldwin, who has since liked Rourke’s post, insists he is not responsible for the shooting, pointing out that he trusted the firearms professionals who were employed on-set. His attorney said he expects to be cleared.

Rourke claimed it was wrong to expect Baldwin to manage the gun safety aspects of the set.

‘Most actors don’t know anything about guns especially if they didn’t grow up around them,’ he continued.

‘Alec didn’t bring the gun to the set from his house or his car, when weapons are involved on a movie set, the guns are supposed to he handled only by the ‘weapon armor’.

‘In some cases the 1st AD might pass a gun to an actor, but most of the time the gun is handed to the actor directly by the ‘gun armor’.

‘There’s what ‘armor’s job is on the set. To have an expert around any type of dangerous weapon.’

Rourke said actors could then either ‘dry fire the gun’ or check the barrel themselves.

He said the decision to charge Baldwin was ‘terribly wrong’ adding: ‘I am sure Alec is already suffering enough over what happened. But to lay a blame on him is terribly terribly wrong.’

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