New Mexico Court Considers Privacy Request for Gene Hackman Death Records

A New Mexico court is considering a request from the estate of actor Gene Hackman and his late wife, Betsy Arakawa, to block the public release of records related to their deaths. The estate argues that the disclosure of photos, videos, and autopsy reports would violate the family's constitutional right to privacy. Hackman, 95, died of heart disease exacerbated by Alzheimer's, just a week after Arakawa, 63, who succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The couple's remains were discovered on February 26 in their Santa Fe home, prompting an investigation that the estate now seeks to keep confidential. A temporary hold on releasing the records is currently in place while Judge Matthew Wilson reviews the case, which has drawn interest from media outlets such as CBS and the Associated Press. New Mexico's open records law typically allows public access to such materials, but exceptions exist for sensitive images and medical information.