A Court of New Mexico has granted a temporary restriction order against the release of certain records related to investigation into the recent deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa
Santa Fe, NM – A court of New Mexico granted a temporary restriction order on Monday against the release of certain records related to investigation into the recent deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The order is in response to a request by Julia Peters, a representative of the couple’s property. She urged a motion presented last week that the court seal records in the case to protect family right to privacy in pain under the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Peters emphasized the possibly shocking nature of the photographs and the video in the investigation and the potential for its dissemination by the media.
A hearing has been scheduled by the end of this month to argue the merits of the application.
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead at his home in Santa Fe At the end of February. The authorities have confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications of Alzheimer’s disease approximately one week after Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease and transmitted by rodents, his wife’s life took off.
The request to seal the records described the discrete lifestyle of the couple in Santa Fe since Hackman’s retirement. The state capital is known as refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
The Law of Open Registries of New Mexico blocks public access to confidential images, including representations of deceased persons. Experts also say that certain medical information is not considered public records under the Public Registry State Inspection Law.
Even so, most of the investigations of death by the application of the law and the autopsy reports by medical researchers are generally considered public records under state law in the spirit of guaranteeing the transparency of the government and responsibility.
The order granted on Monday lists each and every one of the photographs and videos that show the couple’s bodies and the interior of their home. Certain images of the cameras of the body of the sheriff agents who responded to the house are included together with records of the state office of the medical investigator.
