SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A court on Monday blocked the release of public records showing the bodies of Jean Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, but said other images and documents will be revealed.
Representatives from the Hackman Family Estate were urging New Mexico judges to seal photos, videos and documents to protect the privacy of their families. Santa Fe-based judge Matthew Wilson temporarily puts the release of pending records when Monday’s hearing.
Wilson said anything that doesn’t include images of the couple’s body can be released.
The ruins of partially mummy of Hackman and Arakawa were discovered at their Santa Fe home on February 26th. Authorities confirmed that 95-year-old Hackman died of heart disease from complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after his wife’s death. Hackman may have been unaware that 65-year-old Arakawa was dead.
Her cause of death was listed as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. This is a rare rodent-borne disease.
New Mexico’s open record law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of corpses. Experts also say that some medical information is not considered public records under the state’s public record testing laws.
Real Estate Representative Julia Peters highlights the shocking nature of photos and videos in her investigation, highlighting the potential for media adoption to stop them from being released. Hackman Family Estate also attempted to block the release of the autopsy report by the Medical Investigator’s Office and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office’s death investigation report.
Real Estate Attorney Kurt Sommer argued at Monday’s hearing that the couple had been in great pain for life to move away from the public light, and that their right to control their use of names and likeness should extend to death property.
Most law enforcement death investigations and autopsy reports by medical researchers are usually considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability.
At the start of the hearing Monday, Wilson granted a request to intervene in media interventions, including the Associated Press.
Authorities unraveled the mystical circumstances of the couple’s death and explained their conclusions at a press conference on March 7 without releasing the most relevant and most relevant written and photographic records.
One of the couple’s three dogs, Kelpee Mix, named Jinna, was also found dead in a wooden frame in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. Two other dogs were found alive.
Susan Mador, a spokesman who worked with the Hackmans for years, testified that the couple enjoyed living in Santa Fe as they gave them anonymity. Hackman retired in the early 2000s.
Although Arakawa had no children, Hackman was survived by three children from his previous marriage. Privacy may also play a role as the couple’s real estate is resolved. According to probate court documents, Hackman signed the updated Will in 2005 and left his property to his wife while Will, whom she signed that year, overseen him. When both die, the management of the property is in Peters’ hands.
A request is pending to appoint a trustee to manage the assets in two trusts related to real estate. With no trust documents being published, it is unclear who the beneficiaries are and how the assets will be split.
A New Mexico estate planning lawyer says more details could be made if there is a legal dispute over assets. Still, they said the parties would probably ask the court to seal the documents.
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Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press Writer at Albuquerque, contributed to this report.
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