A New Mexico court has granted a temporary hold on the release of sensitive documents pertaining to the death of celebrated US actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The order, issued on Monday, was filed by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate, to protect their family’s right to privacy during a period of grief, under the 14th amendment of the US Constitution.
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The restraining order prevents the public disclosure of any documents containing images or videos related to Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, their home’s interior, or their deceased animals. In addition, post-mortem examination reports and death investigation findings cannot be released by the Office of the Medical Investigator while the hold remains in place. The couple was discovered dead in their Santa Fe home, alongside one of their dogs, on February 26. Hackman, aged 95, reportedly died of heart disease a week after his wife, 65, succumbed to a rare infectious disease.
A hearing to assess the merits of the restraining order has been scheduled for later this month. New Mexico’s open records law typically allows public access to death-related documents, including images of the deceased. However, it also includes provisions for sensitive materials to be withheld in order to respect privacy. While death investigation reports are usually considered public, this temporary order aims to protect the family from further distress during their mourning.
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The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. They revealed that Arakawa’s phone was last used on February 12, with three calls made to a local medical centre, Cloudberry Health, and one missed call from the centre to Arakawa later that afternoon. Hackman, an actor renowned for his roles in films such as The French Connection, Hoosiers, and Superman, won two Oscars throughout his illustrious career before retiring in the early 2000s.
