Gene Hackman's wife had voiced concerns that a mystery man had been following her in the months leading up to their tragic deaths. Recently released bodycam footage reveals that Betsy Arakawa's hairstylist, Christopher, described her as "frazzled" when she recounted two separate incidents that took place in December.
On February 26, the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found inside their Santa Fe residence. Hackman was found near the entryway, while Arakawa was located in a bathroom. Police ruled out foul play but later revealed that Arakawa died from a rat infection. Police also said that Arakawa died a week before Hackman died from heart disease and Alzheimer's.
Chilling New Revelation
Arakawa, who was Hackman's caregiver, died from hantavirus. However, Christopher told law enforcement that the couple had expressed concerns about being followed just two months prior to their deaths.
"She mentioned to me that there was a man that had parked outside of their gate and followed them," he said, in footage obtained by Fox.
"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 of their gated community], followed them all the way to White Rock."
Arakawa told Christopher that she was shocked security "had no idea how he got there." "When we left, I noticed that this car had followed us from the residence to White Rock," she revealed.
Christopher said that Arakawa revealed the man was carrying a folder filled with photos of Hackman and had asked him to sign them.
"She approached him and said, 'I told him he needed to have more respect'," Christopher recalled.
Mystery Man Came Back Again
However, the same man showed up again on a different day, following the couple to another location. During that encounter, he tried to give them a bottle of wine, but they refused. Christopher described Arakawa's experience as "crazy."
"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."
Police believe the late actor died around February 18 due to severe heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer's disease listed as a "significant" contributing factor.
According to officials from the New Mexico medical investigator's office, Arakawa died nearly a week before Hackman from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a serious respiratory illness linked to exposure to infected rodents.
The couple were found dead in separate rooms of their home. Initially, investigators considered their deaths suspicious, but they found no signs of forced entry or disturbances in the house.
Their bodies were found partially mummified inside their $3.3 million mansion.
A fan had fallen near Arakawa, and she was surrounded by scattered prescription pills, leading investigators to suspect she may have suffered a fall.
Last week, a New Mexico court issued a temporary restraining order preventing the release of any photographs or video footage showing Hackman and his wife inside their home.
Hackman's estate had filed a petition to block the photos, arguing that releasing them would violate the family's constitutional right to privacy in mourning under the 14th Amendment.
Meanwhile, another legal dispute may be looming as Hackman's children await the details of their father's final wishes.
