Judge weighs request to withhold investigation records in deaths of Gene
Hackman and wife
[March 31, 2025]
By MORGAN LEE
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico court is weighing whether to block
the disclosure of an array of records from an investigation into the
deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, at the request
of the couple’s estate.
Santa Fe-based Judge Matthew Wilson scheduled a hearing Monday to
consider a request from estate representative Julia Peters to seal
photos, video and documents to protect the family’s constitutional right
to privacy. The court put a temporary hold on the release of records
pending the hearing.
The partially mummified remains of Hackman and Arakawa were found in
their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, when maintenance and security workers
showed up at the home and alerted police. Authorities have confirmed
Hackman, 95, died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s
disease about a week after his wife's death. Hackman may have been
unaware Arakawa, 65, was dead.
Her cause of death was listed as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is
a rare, rodent-borne disease.
New Mexico’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images,
including depictions of dead bodies. Experts also say some medical
information is not considered public record under the state Inspection
of Public Records Act.
Peters has emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and
video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by
media in the bid to block them from being released.
The Hackman family estate's lawsuit also seeks to block the release of
autopsy reports by the Office of the Medical Investigator and death
investigation reports by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
The bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports
by medical investigators are typically considered public records under
state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and
accountability.
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 Authorities unraveled the mysterious
circumstances of the couple's deaths and described their conclusions
at a March 7 news conference without releasing most related written
and photographic records.
One of the couple’s three dogs, a kelpie mix named Zinna, also was
found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. Two other
dogs survived.
The written request to seal the records notes the couple placed “a
significant value on their privacy and took affirmative vigilant
steps” to safeguard it during their lives, including after they
moved to Santa Fe and Hackman retired. The state capital is known as
a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
Arakawa had no children, while Hackman is survived by three children
from a previous marriage. Privacy likely also will play a role as
the couple’s estate is settled. According to probate court
documents, Hackman signed an updated will in 2005 leaving his estate
to his wife, while the will she signed that same year directed her
estate to him. With both of them dying, management of the estate is
in Peters' hands.
A request is pending to appoint a trustee to administer assets in
two trusts associated with the estate. Without trust documents being
made public, it’s unclear who the beneficiaries are and how the
assets will be divided.
Attorneys who specialize in estate planning in New Mexico say it’s
possible more details could come out if there were any legal
disputes over the assets. Even then, they said, the parties likely
would ask the court to seal the documents.
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