A US court is weighing whether to block the release of an array of records from an investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Santa Fe-based Judge Matthew Wilson is set to consider a request from the couple’s estate 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, scheduled for Monday local time.
The partially mummified remains of Hackman and Arakawa were found in their Santa Fe home on February 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.
Local laws block public access to sensitive images, including depictions of dead bodies. Experts also say some medical information is not considered public record under the laws.
Julia Peters, representing the couple’s estate, has emphasised the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and the potential for their dissemination by media.
The Hackman family estate’s lawsuit also seeks to block the release of autopsy and death investigation reports.
Authorities unravelled the mysterious circumstances of the couple’s deaths and described their conclusions at a March 7 news conference.
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.
Arakawa had no children, while Hackman is survived by three children from a previous marriage.