SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico court granted a temporary restraining order Monday against the release of certain records related to the 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 for the couple's estate. She urged in a motion filed last week that the court seal records in the case to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Peters emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by media.
A hearing has been scheduled for later this month to argue the merits of the request. For now, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and the state Office of the Medical Investigator cannot release photographs and videos showing the couple’s bodies or the interior of their home, autopsy reports or death investigation reports.
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home in late February. Authorities have confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare, rodent-borne disease — took the life of his wife.
The request to seal the records notes that the couple placed “a significant value on their privacy and took affirmative vigilant steps” to safeguard their privacy over their lifetime, including after they moved to Santa Fe and Hackman retired. The state capital is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
“The personal representative seeks to continue to preserve the privacy of the Hackmans following their tragic death and support the family's constitutional right to remembrance and desire to grieve in peace,” the document states.
New Mexico’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of people who are deceased. Experts also say that some medical information is not considered public record under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
Still, the bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are typically considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability.
Privacy likely will play a role as well as the couple's estate gets settled. According to probate court documents filed earlier this month, Hackman signed an updated will in 2005 leaving his estate to his wife while the will she signed that same year directed her estate to him in the event of her death. With both of them dying, management of the estate is in the hands of Peters, a Santa Fe-based attorney and trust manager.
A request is pending to appoint a trustee who can 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.
Attorneys who specialize in estate planning in New Mexico say it's possible more details could come out if there were any legal disputes over the assets. Even then, they said, the parties likely would ask the court to seal the documents to maintain privacy.
Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were earlier found dead, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Authorities in North Macedonia said Wednesday they have shuttered dozens of nightclubs and entertainment venues following a fire that killed 59 people at a live pop concert.
Government spokesperson Marija Miteva said that out of 50 establishments inspected in several cities, only 22 had valid licenses.
“For all premises with expired licenses or no license at all, the state market inspectorate has ordered the suspension of activities until all necessary documents are reviewed and validated,” Miteva said.
The deadly fire that erupted in the eastern town of Kocani on Sunday occurred while pyrotechnics were being used at an indoor venue later found to have multiple safety and licensing violations.
Authorities said Wednesday that 16 people remain in custody for questioning, following police interviews with more than 70 individuals.
North Macedonia has declared a week of national mourning after the disaster, which has profoundly shaken this small Balkan nation of two million people and triggered protests and large outdoor vigils.
Funeral services for the mostly young concertgoers are scheduled for Thursday in Kocani, and authorities said autopsies and formal identifications have been completed. Memorial services will also be held elsewhere in the country.
“Let us be calm, let us be gentle, let us be peaceful, patient. Let our prayers and our thoughts be directed towards our deceased, but also towards our injured for their health and recovery,” said Metropolitan Bishop Ilarion of Bregalnica, a region that includes Kocani.
Among the 150 injured, dozens of patients have been transferred to hospitals across Europe, primarily for burn treatment. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Greece are providing support in an EU-backed effort.
Stojance Angelov, who heads the country’s crisis management agency, said the country’s Orthodox Church is leading the funeral arrangements.
He added in an online post: “No words can truly capture the depth of this tragedy or express the overwhelming sadness I feel. Broken by grief, I cannot find anything strong enough to convey my condolences to the families who lost their beloved sons and daughters.”
Gatopoulos reported from in Athens, Greece.
Protesters hold placards as thousands gather in protest for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, in Skopje, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Thousands gather in protest for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, in Skopje, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People attend a vigil in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A priests reads prayers during a vigil in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An ambulance carriage is lifted to the door of an aircraft as survivors of the Kocani night club fire, treated with burn injuries, are transported to hospital upon arrival by a Hungarian Air Force MH Airbus A319 jet at the capital city's international airport in Budapest, Hungary, early Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A patient is carried on a strecher by medical staff as survivors of the Kocani night club fire, treated with burn injuries, are transported to hospital upon arrival by a Hungarian Air Force MH Airbus A319 jet at the capital city's international airport in Budapest, Hungary, early Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A worker digs graves for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Workers dig graves for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People hold posters of security personnel of a nightclub that was the scene of a massive fire, which read "Freedom for Our Heroes" in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People take part in a protest in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early SUnday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People hold posters of security personnel of a nightclub that was the scene of a massive fire, which read "Freedom for Our Heroes" in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Priests read prayers during a vigil in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People light candles during a vigil in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early SUnday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People taking part in a protest hold balloons in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 following a massive fire in a nightclub early SUnday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
