The estate's representative Julia Peters requested the measure to protect the family's privacy and to prevent images from the autopsy from being spread. In the state of New Mexico, death investigations and autopsy reports are in principle public documents.
A court in Santa Fe is now stopping the material from becoming public pending a new court hearing at the end of the month.
Gene Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe in the state of New Mexico on February 27. Hackman likely died of heart failure about a week after his wife, according to local police and forensic experts.
In its decision, the court writes that the Hackman-Arakawa couple attached great importance to their privacy, something they were keen to maintain. Among other things, it was a reason why the couple settled in Santa Fe, a popular refuge for celebrities, artists, and writers who want to be left in peace.
