In the months leading up to their passing, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, reportedly had two strange interactions with an unidentified man, raising concerns about their safety. Newly released bodycam footage obtained by Fox News Digital details how Betsy’s hairstylist recalled her distress over being followed on separate occasions last December.
According to Christopher, a longtime stylist for Betsy, she confided in him about an unsettling experience involving a man who parked outside their gated residence and then trailed them to White Rock, New Mexico.
“She mentioned to me that there was a man that had parked outside of their gate and followed them,” Christopher told law enforcement. “On two separate occasions. One occasion is when they went to White Rock. They went and had lunch there, and the guy followed them from parked [outside their gated community], followed them all the way to White Rock.”
Betsy was particularly disturbed by the incident, telling Christopher that she was surprised security hadn’t been able to detect how the man got so close. She confronted him when he approached with a folder of photos of Gene, requesting autographs.
“I told him he needed to have more respect,” Betsy allegedly said, according to Christopher.
A second unsettling encounter occurred when the same man followed the Hackmans to another location. This time, he attempted to offer them a bottle of wine, which they declined. Christopher expressed his concerns to Betsy, urging her to be cautious.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, Betsy, that’s crazy. You should not have approached this person. This makes me nervous.’ He knew what [they] drove. That’s the scary part,” Christopher recounted to law enforcement.
Legal Battle Over Privacy
Following their deaths, the Hackman estate took legal action to block the release of investigative footage. On March 13, a lawyer for the estate filed a petition in state District Court in Santa Fe, arguing that releasing bodycam images and reports from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator would be an invasion of privacy.
Attorney Kurt Sommer, representing the estate, emphasized that public interest in the couple’s deaths does not outweigh their right to privacy, citing a legal precedent set in the case of Kurt Cobain’s death-scene photographs, which were never publicly released.
“Once the images are released, the bell cannot be unrung,” Sommer wrote in the petition. “During their lifetime, the Hackmans placed significant value on their privacy and took affirmative, vigilant steps to safeguard it.”
A temporary restraining order has been granted, preventing the release of any records, photographs, or videos related to their deaths. The order specifically blocks the release of autopsy reports, bodycam footage, and images from inside the couple’s residence.
A hearing regarding the petition is scheduled for March 31.
Cause of Death Confirmed
Authorities have since confirmed the causes of Gene and Betsy’s deaths. According to medical reports, Betsy succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but often fatal respiratory disease transmitted by rodents. Gene, on the other hand, passed away due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor.
The Hackman estate is currently being managed by Julia Peters, a partner and chief counsel for the Avalon Trust Co. investment firm.
The strange encounters leading up to their deaths, coupled with the estate’s legal battle to maintain their privacy, have left lingering questions about the final months of the iconic actor and his wife.
