EXCLUSIVE: Was Gene Hackman Murdered by STALKER? Chilling New Theory Over Hollywood Icon's Death Emerges After It's Revealed He Was Followed by Obsessed Fan Before Shock Death
Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa has sparked fears the couple may have been killed by a stalker after she told of being followed two months before their deaths.
March 26 2025, Published 12:18 p.m. ET
Gene Hackman's late wife revealed a mystery man was following her before she died, sparking rumors a stalker may have been responsible for their deaths.
RadarOnline.com can report newly released bodycam footage shows Betsy Arakawa's hairstylist Christopher recalling how she was "frazzled" when she disclosed two separate incidents that took place in December, two months before they were found dead inside their $3.3million Santa Fe compound.
Betsy Arakawa told her hairstylist of two incidents which left her 'frazzled' two months before her and Hackman's deaths.
A source said: "The hairstylist's revelations have certainly added a twist to this story.
"The pair enjoyed a quiet life in Santa Fe, so this behavior feels even more sinister and raises the question whether their deaths were actually caused by a stalker."
Christopher told law enforcement the couple was concerned about being followed just two months before their deaths.
He said: "She mentioned to me that there was a man that had parked outside of their gate and followed them.
"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 she was surprised security "didn't know 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 Arakawa disclosed that the man had a folder full of photos of Hackman and wanted him to sign them.
She approached him and said, '"I told him he needed to have more respect," Christopher recalled.
But that same man later returned on a different day, following the couple to a separate location.
In that incident, he tried to offer them a bottle of wine, but they declined.
Hackman and Arakawa moved to New Mexico after choosing to leave Hollywood and live away from the spotlight.
Christopher said Arakawa's ordeal was "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 from severe heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer's disease as a "significant" contributing factor.
Officials with the New Mexico medical investigator's office said Arakawa died a week before Hackman from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a severe respiratory illness caused by contact with infected rodents.
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead inside their $3.3million Santa Fe compound last month
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The couple was discovered lying dead in separate rooms of their home.
Investigators initially ruled the deaths as suspicious but noted there were no signs of forced entry or anything in disarray.
The bodies were discovered in a state of partial mummification at their $3.3million mansion.
A fan had fallen near Arakawa, who was also surrounded by a scattering of prescription pills, which suggested a fall to investigators.
A New Mexico court last week granted a temporary restraining order against the release of any photographs and video showing Hackman and his wife inside their home.
Hackman's estate had filed the petition to withhold images, citing the need to protect the family's constitutional right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment.
