Update in investigation into deaths of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa
Authorities will on Friday reveal more details about their investigation into the deaths of Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The couple's partially mummified bodies were discovered at their home in New Mexico in February, along with the body of one of their dogs.
Tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative and the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office does not suspect foul play.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza has scheduled a press conference for Friday afternoon, alongside state fire, forensics and health officials, to provide an update on the investigation.
The sheriff has previously said that Hackman and Arakawa may have died up to a fortnight before the discovery of their bodies on February 26.
Hackman's pacemaker last showed any activity on February 17.
Arakawa's body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter, while Hackman's body was found in the home's entryway.
One of the couple's three dogs was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet, near Arakawa. Two other dogs survived.
Authorities initially misidentified the dead dog.
Medical investigators have been working to carry out toxicology reports and establish the cause of the couple's deaths. However, it could take weeks.
Authorities have retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones that will be analysed.
When they were found, the bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe 's especially dry air, authorities previously said.
Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
Arakawa, who was born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist and attended the University of Southern California. She met Hackman in the 1980s while working at a California gym.
The couple's stucco, Pueblo-revival style home sits on a hill in a gated community at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Santa Fe is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels far from Hollywood's social circuit.
He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and his wife were investors in local businesses.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Superman trailer has fans flocking to buy tickets at a blistering record pace besting any movie in 2025
Warner Bros. released a new trailer for Superman on Wednesday, as fans flocked to pick up their tickets just as they went on sale, seemingly at a record pace. Amazon announced on Tuesday a special offer for Prime members to see Superman a few days before its July 11 release, with early screenings on July 8. With the trailer's debut on Wednesday, it was also announced by Fandango that the Prime early screenings were the ticket retailer's best first-day ticket pre-sales of 2025. Fans have not been hesitating to scoop up their own tickets for the July 11 release, with many taking to social media to show off their ticket purchases. Early box office projections have already been quite huge, with early numbers suggesting it could open between $154 million and $175 million. If this record pace continues, it could be even higher, as fans have continued to express their excitement on social media all day on Wednesday after the new trailer dropped. The trailer begins with a massive skyscraper falling and Superman (David Corenswet) swooping in to stop it from hitting the ground as we hear Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) detailing his plan to destroy the Man of Steel. Luthor and his minions are seen destroying Superman's Fortress of Solitude, while we also see Superman/Clark Kent making out with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), along with shots of his parents (Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell). Droids are seeing picking up a battered Superman and taking him to the Fortress, along with shots of Superman in battle with Luthor's various henchfolk. One particular shot fans have been cheering for shows Superman and his beloved dog Krypto the Superdog battle an enemy, literally punching his teeth out and hitting the camera lens, breaking the proverbial 'fourth wall.' Superman is also see clashing with the abrasive Green Lantern character Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who challenges him to, 'make a move, big blue.' More shots show people all over the world rooting for Superman, which infuriates Luthor, who says, 'They chose him, let them die.' An exhausted Superman is also seen on the ground during a battle, as Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) tells him, 'Hey, quit messing around!' Superman responds playfully (and tiredly), 'I'm not messing around, I'm doing important stuff,' another line that has clearly resonated with fans on social media. The final shot shows Superman using his eyeball lasers to take out a slew of enemies, which fans have praised as well, such as @UpToTASK, who said, 'YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO this is hard AF #Superman.' Another fan dubbed @DCUSuperboy said in all caps, 'I GENUINELY DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS AND NOT BE HYPED FOR #SUPERMAN.' Of course, not everyone was as excited, with many like @agamelift still praising director Zack Snyder for his previous DCEU films. 'The #Superman blueprint is @ZackSnyder. This movie looks like complete garbage - Guardians of the Galaxy with Superman while copying major elements of Man of Steel and doing them worse. Yes, clearly the plot leak a few months back was legit,' he said. Others like Aaron Fischer blasted the movie for its comedic elements, stating he has, 'lost all hope for this film,' adding it will be, 'stupid and silly.' Still, many were so excited they bought tickets immediately, like @SupermanOnFilm, who said, 'I've already bought 8 tickets for opening weekend #Superman.' Others like box office observer Luis Fernando marveled at the pre-sales already coming in at BFI IMAX theaters for Superman. 'In all my years following pre-sales at the BFI IMAX, I believe I haven't seen Post-Covid a CBM other than #NoWayHome selling so many tickets, for so many screenings in advance so quickly. It hasn't been even 10h yet. Somehow WB managed to pull #SUPERMAN as a major IMAX event it seems,' he said. 'The #Superman blueprint is @ZackSnyder. This movie looks like complete garbage - Guardians of the Galaxy with Superman while copying major elements of Man of Steel and doing them worse. Yes, clearly the plot leak a few months back was legit,' he said Others like box office observer Luis Fernando marveled at the pre-sales already coming in at BFI IMAX theaters for Superman. 'It's a big commitment to buy tickets so far in advance at the BFI as they are not refundable and are a bit pricey from £22-£26 ($29.80-$35.25). So people usually don't buy so in advance, because sometimes life happens. The fact this CBM is selling so many tickets 30 days in advance and could potentially have sold out screenings even before release, especially for a DC film, is remarkable
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
The Jaws test: We're going to need a bigger boat for political sharks
But what do you know, the kid stayed on the picture, the shark scared the popcorn out of audiences, and the score by John Williams will live forever. The picture won three Oscars. It deserved double. Spielberg went on to his next project, a modest something or other about aliens, and the rest is probably being discussed on a podcast somewhere in the distant universe. The moral of the Jaws story is that things can be turned around. What earns brickbats one day can come up roses the next. There endeth the lesson, or so it seemed. As I watched the film again the other day, it occurred to me that Jaws had more to teach us about modern politics and those who swim in its waters. Let's be topical and start with Rachel Reeves. In the Commons today, just after PMQs, the Chancellor will deliver her spending review. Having U-turned on pensioners' winter fuel payments, Ms Reeves must hope that she can put some distance between herself and the worst decision of any government in its first months in office, far less a Labour one. But pensioners, and Labour MPs, have long memories. That was evident on the doorsteps of Hamilton, regardless of the eventual wafer-thin win. The subject will surface again if Ms Reeves comes for personal independence payments (PIP), a lifeline for so many disabled people. The U-turn on winter fuel could run into trouble. Paying the allowance to all, then clawing it back from some, is a plan that's fraught with difficulties. Ms Reeves will get through today, but she must know this is not over. The idea that she can go into the next election, however distant, as Chancellor, is ridiculous. Such is the ill feeling caused by scrapping the winter fuel payments, nothing less than her resignation will put it right. Even her boss knows that. So no, Ms Reeves. It might look calm out there, but it is not safe to go back in the water. Have a paddle close to shore, and get out at a time that suits you. Another takeaway from Jaws is that all politicians can be placed in one of two categories. The first lot are led by Mayor Larry Vaughn, played in the movie by Murray Hamilton. The elected leader of the fictional Amity Island is worried that the great white terrorising his shores is bad for business. Whatever it takes, he wants everyone back in the water on the 4th of July, having a good time. Warning him in the strongest possible terms against this is police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider). He wants to wait for the experts (Dreyfuss and Shaw's oceanographer Matt Hooper and Navy veteran Quint) to do their thing before he declares the sea safe. Boris Johnson is an obvious Mayor Vaughn. Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, JD Vance, every blowhard who ever appealed for common sense to prevail. Nicola Sturgeon and gender recognition reform is a Mayor Vaughn: wave after wave of supporters, sent to their doom. Her? Didn't even get the ends of her hair wet. John Swinney at the Hamilton by-election: it's only us and Reform out there, nothing to worry about. Total Mayor Vaughn. What of the police chief Brodys? Keir Starmer is one, even if he is clueless at reading the political weather. He will warn against going in the water initially, but then suddenly everything is fine, much like with the economy. Liberal Democrats, Greens - Brodys forever, though the latter cannot be trusted with making the arrangements to close the beach. Whatever the plan, it will cost three times as much and they will screw it up anyway. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, in Jaws (1975) (Image: free) Moving on to Quint, the grizzled veteran who has seen some sights in his time as a shark hunter and has the 1000-yard stare to prove it. Jim Sillars and Alex Neil come to mind. Know-all Hooper is every young buck who has never had a job outside politics. There are too many of those to choose from. The shark? Take your pick. It could be a person (Putin the obvious choice) or an event (climate change catastrophe). Either way, it's coming, and it's not going to stop till you can see its dead black eyes. Not that this is any reason to change our ways any time soon. Goodness no, we have all the time in the world for that. Jaws had its US release on June 20, 1975. In the UK we had to wait till Boxing Day to see what the fuss was about. It was one of the first films I saw in the cinema and I love it still. The only regret is that it spread misinformation about sharks, even though the term 'fake news' did not exist then. Sharks don't hunt humans. They don't bear grudges. They are not 25 feet long. Spielberg himself told Desert Island Discs in 2022: 'I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film.' He's done his bit, alongside conservationists, to increase shark numbers. Things can turn out okay after all. If it has been a while since you last saw Jaws, it will be on ITV4 at 9.05pm on Friday, June 20. It's a special birthday screening, all welcome, especially current and former First Ministers. Alison Rowat is a Herald columnist and writer
Graziadaily
2 days ago
- Graziadaily
The $487 Million Film That Ended A Hollywood Marriage - And That $80 Million Divorcement Settlement
As of 10 June, it is 20 years since the film that divided Hollywood first hit cinemas. Before Mr & Mrs Smith , Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were the golden couple of the entertainment industry, with Pitt the pin up heartthrob and Aniston, 'Rachel from Friends', ever the girl next door. Angelina Jolie, meanwhile, was a maverick action film star who was covered in tattoos, married to Billy Bob Thornton who was 20 years her senior, and famously kissed her own brother on stage at the Oscars. It's almost impossible to cast your mind back to those days given how Mr & Mrs Smith reshaped the cultural landscape. Not because of its gripping action sequences or its plot – it's actually a distinctly average film with a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – but because it marked the end of Pitt and Aniston's marriage and the start of 'Brangelina'. Tabloid fodder at its finest, what was already an uncomfortable situation for the three actors was made worse by the frenzied rivalry whipped up by the media. 'Team Aniston' and 'Team Jolie' t-shirts swept the nation and were famously worn famous faces like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, tell-all interviews were offered and accepted on both sides, and an unrelenting stream of commentary followed – and in many ways still does. Despite rumours that Pitt and Jolie had an affair on the set of the film, they have always maintained that their relationship did not start until after Aniston filed for divorce in January 2005. They did, however, later admit that they developed feelings for each other while working together. 'It took until the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realise that it might mean something more than we'd earlier allowed ourselves to believe,' Jolie told The New York Post in 2006. 'And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration.' When Aniston announced that she and Pitt were separating after five years of marriage, she cited irreconcilable differences and said, 'our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media' and that they remained 'committed and caring friends'. Of course, all that stood to change, at least in the court of public opinion, when Pitt and Jolie's romance was confirmed. First via viral pictures of them holidaying together in Kenya and then in July 2005 through their extensive W magazine spread titled, 'Domestic Bliss'. Something that, understandably, riled up Team Aniston. The following September, Aniston spoke out about her divorce for the first time, telling Vanity Fair : 'There are many stages of grief. It's sad, something coming to an end. It cracks you open.' Later adding, 'I would much rather everyone move on. I am not defined by this relationship. I am not defined by the part [the media is] making me play in the triangle.' In January 2006, Jolie and Pitt announced they were expecting a child together, six months after they adopted their daughter Zahara from Ethiopia. Four more children followed to form a total of six and all were present when the couple got married at their co-owned French Estate, Chateau Miraval, in 2014. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their children in 2011. (Photo: IMAGO) However, the legacy of this power couple has been tarnished for almost a decade. In 2016, two years after their wedding, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt citing irreconcilable differences after a fateful private plane journey from France to LA. In 2022, Jolie filed court papers accusing Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and their children during the aforementioned flight, prompting her to file for divorce. She alleges that he grabbed her by the head and verbally abused and poured alcohol on his family during the journey. Pitt has always denied the allegations and was cleared of wrongdoing following an FBI investigation at the time. Nevertheless, the separation marked the start of an eight-year divorce battle that saw Pitt and Jolie in disputes over both the custody of their minor children and their French winery. The latter is still ongoing. Pitt and Jolie are finally divorced, but they are set to meet each other in court next year. They will both be subjected to depositions that may reveal additional personal details about their marriage, including the alleged 'years of abuse' Jolie claims Pitt subjected her to. The trial will also settle the rightful ownership of Jolie's 50% shares of Chateau Miraval, which Jolie sold shortly after filing for divorce. Pitt claims the sale was carried out without permission while Jolie alleges that she attempted to sell her shares to Pitt in the first instance but refused after he asked her to sign a $8.5m NDA to cover up said 'years of abuse'. As for the state of their once picture-perfect family, it similarly hangs in the balance. All six of Pitt and Jolie's children seem to have taken a marked stance with their mother, with several of them dropping 'Pitt' from their surnames. In 2023, their son Pax took to Instagram on Father's Day to share his thoughts about the F1 actor. 'You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you are incapable of doing so,' he wrote. 'You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. […] The truth will come to light someday.' Even so, anyone following the saga would assume Pitt and Jolie are at least somewhat relieved to no longer be legally married. However, in a recent interview with GQ to promote his upcoming film F1 , which is out on 27 June, Pitt seemed indifferent. 'No, I don't think it was that major of a thing,' he responded when asked if he was relieved that the divorce was behind him. 'Just something coming to fruition, legally.' The Jolie-Pitt clan's dirty laundry is set to air in court in 2026, but Jolie's lawyers have insisted she never wanted their case to go to trial. 'Angelina never wanted any of this,' her attorney Paul Murphy said after a judge ruled that Pitt must turn over documents and communications that Jolie claims will prove he covered up alleged domestic violence. 'She never pressed charges, she left all their properties, and she is the one who tried to sell him the business in the first place. […] She wants this to end, the children want this to end, and Mr. Pitt should focus on healing their family, not pursuing lawsuits.' The legacy of Mr & Mrs Smith has, in many ways, returned to its origins – a toxic, highly-publicised feud with real lives and relationships at the centre. Sadly, this is a story that has not ended well for anyone. As for the 'truth', all eyes will be on the courtroom next year. Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
