The world was stunned at the end of February when the bodies of the two-time Oscar-winning star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found in their Santa Fe mansion. Now, a New Mexico judge has issued a huge ruling in the wake of their deaths.
Judge Issues Ruling On Hackman And Arakawa
Judge Matthew Wilson has officially signed off on the public release of investigative records in the deaths of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65. However, he blocked the release of any public records that show the couple’s respective bodies.
Judge Wilson ruled that autopsy and investigative reports that do not show the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa can be released to the public. Audio captured on video filmed by law enforcement can also be released.
In his decision, Judge Wilson explained that “the families of Mr. Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Hackman would suffer irreparable injury unless the court grants a preliminary injunction.”
Hackman Family Attorneys Make Their Arguments
A representative for the Hackman family estate had argued that the judge should block the release of these records. They claimed that he should do this in order to protect the privacy of the family.
Indeed, Hackman family estate attorney Kurt Sommer explained to the court that Hackman and Arakawa “took great pains to stay out of the public light” in their later years. He argued that this is why Hackman and Arakwa would never want these records to be made public.
And of course, they would have had an interest in protecting their legacies and memories.
“There simply is no legitimate government purpose for releasing this material at this time,” he said.
Greg Mackenzie, an attorney representing Hackman’s three children from a previous marriage, agreed with this sentiment.
“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,” Mackenzie said.
Related: Gene Hackman, 95, Was ‘Murdered,’ Hollywood Legend Randy Quaid Alleges
Arakawa’s Mother Breaks Her Silence
Arakawa’s 91 year-old mother Yoshie Feaster also asked the court to block the release of these records. In court documents obtained by People Magazine, she lamented that “the significant media coverage surrounding the circumstances of her passing have forced me to relive the experience of her untimely death, repeatedly.”
“I humbly come before this court to request that this court respect my right to grieve in peace and find that I have a constitutional right to avoid seeing images of my daughter’s home, her dead body, her husband’s dead body, and their dog’s corpse,” she said. “The public spectacle surrounding my daughter’s death is one that no parent should have to live through.”
“I believe a parent’s right to choose how to care for a child during their life should reasonably extend to a parent’s decision in dealing with a child’s death,” Feaster continued. “This right should extend to protect against the release of the autopsy photos and autopsy reports of my daughter. This right should extend to permit me to control the physical remains of my daughter, her memory, and images of her deceased body; including, but not limited to, images demonstrating how my daughter was residing during her final days.”
In the end, the judge ruled that the records must be made public. The only stipulation is that they don’t depict images of Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies.
Related: Gene Hackman’s Wife Feared Being Followed By Mystery Man Before She And Her Husband Were Found Dead
Arakawa And Hackman Found
The bodies of Arakawa and Hackman were found on February 26.
Arakawa died of Hantavirus, a rare flu-like virus often transmitted through rodent droppings. She likely passed away on February 12, which was when she made her last phone call.
Hackman was then in the mansion alone with her body for several days before succumbing to heart failure. The actor was also suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. This means he may have been unaware or unable to understand that his wife had died.
Hackman and Arakawa had been married since 1991. He retired from acting in 2004, and in the final twenty years of their lives, they were extremely private. While the public deserves answers on how they died, we’re glad that a judge has ruled to prohibit images of their bodies from being released.
Please join us in saying a prayer for Hackman and Arakawa’s families as they continue to mourn them!
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