NM judge blocks release of Hackman, Arakawa photos, OKs other records to be made public

SANTA FE — A New Mexico judge granted an order Monday prohibiting the release of images depicting the dead bodies of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. But he denied a request to put a hold on other records, including audio and lapel videos.

The decision came after a request by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate, to put a preliminary injunction on certain records including images of Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies. A temporary hold had been placed on the release of the records until Monday’s hearing.

In a motion filed on March 11, Peters said a preliminary injunction is “necessary to protect” Hackman and Arakawa’s privacy and support the family’s right to grieve as protected by the 14th Amendment, which state District Judge Matthew Wilson said on Monday he agreed with.

The release of the photographs “would shock the conscious and offend the community’s sense of fair play and decency,” he added.

Wilson ruled it was alright, however, to allow for the release of other records, including audio recordings and lapel videos, provided that they did not show Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, which were found at their Santa Fe home in late February.

Last month, authorities announced that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s about a week after his wife died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare, rodent-borne disease. A few days later, the Associated Press reported that starvation and dehydration likely contributed to the death of their kelpie mix named Zinna.

A week ago, authorities released redacted body camera footage from outside Hackman and Arakawa’s home, showing deputies talking with the two workers who reported seeing someone lying on the floor inside the home, the AP reported.

A large amount of law enforcement death investigations and autopsy reports are usually considered public records under state law.

Greg McKenzie, an attorney for the Hackman children, said allowing the public to look at photos of the bodies could cause trauma “for years to come.”

In a motion to intervene, Arakawa’s mother, Yoshie Feaster, said if the court permitted the release of the photos, “... I would be forced to relive and face my daughter’s last few days, a countless number of times.”

At the start of Monday’s hearing, Wilson agreed to a request to allow the Associated Press and CBS News to intervene to oppose the injunction on the records.

Greg Williams, attorney for the AP and CBS, said the media is not interested in exploiting Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths. Instead, he said, the outlets are concerned with receiving records the law requires the Office of the Medical Investigator and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office to provide.

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, the AP reported.