A New Mexico court has approved a temporary hold on the release of documents related to the death of US actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa containing sensitive footage and images.r
The temporary restraining order was submitted by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple's estate, to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
Under the order, documents containing images or videos of Hackman or Arakawa's bodies, the interior of their home, or their deceased animals cannot be released.
Post-mortem examination and death investigation reports are also restricted from disclosure by the Office of the Medical Investigator.
The ruling follows the discovery of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, along with one of their dogs, dead in their New Mexico home on 26 February.
A pathologist determined Hackman died of heart disease a week after Arakawa died of a rare infectious disease.
A hearing to argue the merits of the order has been scheduled for later this month.
New Mexico's open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of deceased individuals. However, most law enforcement death investigations and post-mortem examination reports are typically considered public records under state law to ensure government transparency and accountability.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office found that Arakawa’s phone was last used on 12 February to call a medical centre in Santa Fe called Cloudberry Health.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said three calls were made to Cloudberry Health, and one from the medical centre to Arakawa’s phone was made that afternoon and appeared as a missed call on the device.
Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, had a storied career spanning the 1960s to the early 2000s, starring in films such as The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman.
Source: Press Association
