Alec Baldwin is ending the year on a high after reuniting with his daughter Ireland, but a source exclusively tells In Touch the actor/director is still having nightmares over the Rust trial that turned his world upside down for most of 2024 – especially after prosecutors recently filed an appeal to restart the manslaughter charges. 

“Alec has been assured by his lawyers that this is over and done,” the source says. “He is hoping they’re right and doing his best to let it sink in that he’s past the worst of this, but it still hangs over his head.” 

In October 2021, the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was struck and killed by a bullet fired from an on-set prop revolver which Alec, 66, was using, while director Joel Souza was also injured. The horrible accident eventually led to charges for the film’s producer, Alec, and armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: one count of involuntary manslaughter each with Gutierrez-Reed receiving an additional charge of tampering with evidence related to cocaine she allegedly tried to hide from police during her arrest.

The 30 Rock star pleaded not guilty and his trial began on July 9, but the charges were dismissed with prejudice three days later over a Brady disclosure violation, after the presiding judge found the prosecution had withheld evidence from the actor’s defense team in an “intentional and deliberate” manner. Gutierrez-Reed also pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and acquitted of tampering with evidence, receiving an 18-month sentence.

The whole incident, which has gone on for more than three years, “has left a huge scar,” the insider says. “It’s no exaggeration to say he’s got post-traumatic stress over it.” 

In a painful recent turn of events, prosecutors tried once again to nab Alec, filing an appeal on September 4 to overturn the judge’s decision to dismiss the case, but was denied just the next day. 

“Today’s decision to dismiss the appeal is the final vindication of what Alec Baldwin and his attorneys have said from the beginning—this was an unspeakable tragedy but Alec Baldwin committed no crime,” said the Saturday Night Live alum’s lead lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro announced in September after the appeal was denied.

This marks the prosecution’s third attempt at getting at Alec, as they had officially charged and then dropped the case once before the trial. For sure, the reopening of the horrible chapter in Alec’s life deeply affected him again, something the insider says, “he knows people aren’t going to be very sympathetic about.” 

“It’s not like he’s out there whining or griping about it. The thing about Alex is that he bottles it all up, and then he tends to blow up when the pressure gets too much.” 

“He’s trying not to fixate on it, but it does haunt him. He still looks back at it and can’t believe it’s not just a nightmare that he’ll eventually wake up from. And it’s not exactly over because not only are there these rumblings about the case getting reopened, Hayla’s family is still planning a civil suit so that’s another monkey on his back.”