Actor Gene Hackman has died at age 95, leaving behind a complex estate battle over the release of sensitive information about his death. The Oscar-winning movie star’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, also passed away from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome two weeks before her body was found.
Hackman’s estate, worth an estimated $80 million, filed wills in March for both Hackman and Arakawa, naming Julia L. Peters as the personal representative. However, the estate is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports, including photographs and police body camera footage from sheriff’s deputies.
The couple’s private lives have been scrutinized by authorities, with officials discussing the planned release of some bodycam footage. Hackman’s children from his first marriage are not mentioned in the will but have since been identified as heirs.
Contractor Jesse Kesler spoke out about discovering Arakawa’s body, stating that he and a security guard found it after searching the house for 30 minutes. The couple’s dogs helped investigators locate Hackman’s body, leading to a significant delay in finding him.
The request to block sensitive information is based on the argument that Hackman and Arakawa led an “exemplary private life” and took steps to safeguard their privacy. However, some argue that this does not justify blocking death investigations and autopsy reports from becoming public records.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/gene-hackman-and-betsy-arakawas-wills-are-filed-as-estate-seeks-to-block-the-release-of-bodycam-footage-autopsy-reports-200650377.html