In a landmark ruling delivered on Monday afternoon, a Santa Fe judge decreed that records pertaining to the tragic demise of Gene and Betsy Hackman could see the light of day, albeit with a crucial caveat. Amidst a ruling that blended legal precision with sensitivity, Judge Matthew Wilson stipulated that any visuals depicting the partially decomposed bodies of the reclusive duo would remain under wraps.
Throughout the day, the corridors of Santa Fe’s First Judicial District Court echoed with arguments as Judge Wilson heard from legal representatives of the Hackman family estate. The estate had filed a petition seeking to shield footage and documentation linked to the couple's February fatalities—typically matters of public record—from public scrutiny. Opposing this stance was the counsel for Santa Fe County, who invoked state law in favor of transparency and governmental accountability.
"No visual representation of either deceased shall feature in any video production," Judge Wilson emphasized in his ruling, which permitted the dissemination of redacted police body camera footage and other pertinent documents. Similarly, autopsy photographs or any graphic images extracted from the medical examiner’s reports were excluded from public release.
In March, authorities unveiled key findings from the autopsy reports of the legendary actor and his spouse of three decades. On February 26, their bodies were discovered in separate rooms of their home during a welfare check; external injuries were absent, as per police reports. Notably, Hackman's pacemaker had ceased functioning on February 17, indicating he had passed away at least a week prior to being found slumped in a mudroom adjacent to their kitchen. The medical examiner attributed Hackman's death to severe cardiovascular disease, exacerbated by Alzheimer’s, while Betsy succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a life-threatening respiratory condition contracted through contact with infected rodents, in their living room.
The couple had sought solace in privacy at their Old Sunset Trail Road abode after retreating from Hollywood limelight in 2004. On Monday, Santa Fe attorney Kurt Sommer pleaded before the court that the Hackman estate bore the responsibility to safeguard Gene and Betsy’s possessions, encompassing photographs and videos documenting their deceased bodies at the scene and during autopsies.
Debates centered on whether the temporary restraining order granted by Judge Wilson on March 17—halting public access to autopsy and death investigation reports—ought to be converted into a permanent injunction as the estate settled other affairs and the deaths underwent further scrutiny.
"The Hackmans’ names, likenesses, and images are invaluable and require protection, evidenced by the media’s voracious appetite for these documents to exploit for personal gain," Sommer, the estate's attorney, argued during the hearing in New Mexico. "This estate is obligated to safeguard Gene and Betsy’s property, including photos and videos of their deceased bodies," he emphasized.
The central dilemma revolved around the couple’s posthumous right to privacy and the authority to control the usage of their images. The estate further contended that the release of footage could pose future security risks to the late couple’s property.
"The request for these videos amounts to an underhanded attempt to gain insight into the Hackmans’ lifestyle, inaccessible to the press during their lifetime," Sommer contended. "Delaying access until these matters are resolved poses no harm to the media; a considerable volume of videos has already been shared with the press."
Conversely, Santa Fe County counsel Walker Boyd countered that, according to existing state laws, the couple forfeited their right to privacy upon death. He deemed it "unprecedented" for a judge to be petitioned to阻拦 state entities from fulfilling their statutory obligations, such as granting access to records pertaining to the death of a public figure.
"Neither the estate nor intervening family members possess the privacy rights being invoked here," Boyd asserted.
The Associated Press, CBS News, and CBS Studios had intervened in the matter following the judge’s temporary order in February. Gregory P. Williams, representing these news outlets, assured the court that court filings confirmed the non-dissemination of images depicting the couple’s bodies, which would be blurred to obscure them from other records.
"Undoubtedly, there lies a public interest in understanding how their deaths were investigated and handled," Williams argued before the court.
