Key takeaways:

• The estate of actor Gene Hackman aims to prevent the public release of autopsy and forensic records.
• Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found deceased in their New Mexico home under mysterious circumstances.
• A legal representative cites potential invasion of privacy and the disturbing nature of the investigation materials.
• New Mexico laws on public records complicate the request, balancing transparency and privacy rights.

A representative for the estate of legendary actor Gene Hackman has requested a court to block the public release of autopsy and investigative records, including shocking photographs and body-camera footage from police related to the recent deaths of Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The couple's partially mummified bodies were discovered at their residence in New Mexico in late February, prompting investigations that have raised several unanswered questions.

Recent reports from authorities confirmed that Hackman, who passed away at the age of 95, succumbed to heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, a former concert pianist aged 65, died a week earlier due to the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The couple’s bodies weren’t found until February 26, after maintenance workers alerted police, leaving law enforcement to piece together the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Julia Peters, who represents the estate of Hackman and Arakawa, argued in a state district court in Santa Fe that privacy rights, as protected by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, must be upheld, especially given the potentially shocking content of the investigation materials. In the filed request, she stressed the couple's discreet lifestyle, emphasizing they lived "an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico."

New Mexico's open records law does restrict public access to sensitive imagery, particularly concerning deceased individuals, explained Amanda Lavin, legal director at the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. However, primary records related to death investigations and autopsy reports are typically accessible as a means to promote governmental transparency and accountability. Lavin remarked, "I do think it does infringe on transparency if the court were to prohibit release of all the investigation records, including the autopsies."

Local authorities, including Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, have indicated they are obligated to fulfill requests for public information per legal requirements, despite the ongoing case being treated as open due to lingering inquiries regarding cellphone records and a necropsy of the couple's dog found at the home. Mendoza noted, "Most of the major questions in the case have been answered."

Hackman was a celebrated Hollywood actor, honored with two Academy Awards for his roles in films like The French Connection and Hoosiers. Arakawa, who met Hackman in the mid-1980s, had pursued a career in music, studying at USC before starting her relationship with the actor. For further information, read more from Le Monde, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.