SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico judge has decided to block the release of any public records showing the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, Nexstar’s KRQE reported.
Santa Fe-based Judge Matthew Wilson issued the decision at a court hearing Monday. He said autopsy and investigative reports that do not show the couple’s bodies can be released, along with audio captured on the video.
In making his decision, Wilson said that “the families of Mr. Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Hackman would suffer irreparable injury unless the court grants a preliminary injunction.”
A representative for the Hackman family estate urged the court to block the release of the records to protect the family’s privacy. Authorities say Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Arakawa died from a rare, rodent-borne disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Opening statements from the Hackman estate argued the footage could give a full blueprint of the home, making the property vulnerable to theft and break-ins. Family representatives also stated that images and videos of the body would be exploited in the media, which could jeopardize Hackman and Arakawa’s name, image, and likeness.
“My clients have a right of privacy for their father’s death images to not be cast over the internet in perpetuity, as well as audio recordings about his decomposing body,” said Greg Mackenzie, attorney for Gene Hackman’s children.
They brought two witnesses in. One was a New Mexico lawyer, who described previous accounts of homes being burglarized due to video being released to the public. The other witness was Hackman’s publicist, who attested the couple valued privacy and even moved to Santa Fe for that value.
Representing the defense were the Office of the Medical Investigator and the County of Santa Fe, who say public records law requires them to comply.
Ultimately, the judge denied the locking request, allowing the records to be out, as long as they did not depict the deceased couple. A court had put a temporary restraining order on the release of the records pending Monday’s hearing.
Hackman, Arakawa, and their dog Zinna were found dead inside their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26.
Deputies responded to the home around 1:45 p.m. to find Hackman, 95, on the floor of the home’s mudroom alongside a walking cane and sunglasses. Arakawa, 65, was found on the bathroom floor. In the bathroom closet, deputies found one of the couple’s three dogs dead inside a crate.
The medical investigation would later reveal that Arakawa died first of hantavirus. Authorities said Hackman died more than a week later of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s. It was determined that the dog died of starvation and dehydration.
Authorities have released portions of the body-camera footage taken by deputies who responded to the home on the day Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were discovered. Only video from outside of the home has been released, after a judge granted a temporary block of footage from inside the house or of the couple’s bodies at the request of the family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
