Gene Hackman’s kids could lay claim to his $128 million fortune

Gene Hackman’s children may have been left out of his will, but they could still have a claim to his multimillion-dollar fortune thanks to a loophole.

Gene Hackman’s three kids were not named in his will, but they may go after the late actor’s $US80 million ($A128m) fortune anyway — and New Mexico law could allow them to challenge the document and make a run for their father’s dough.

After the sudden deaths of the 95-year-old Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa in their Santa Fe home, Hackman’s assets went to a living trust he established decades ago and last amended in 2005.

Details of that trust have not been revealed to the public, and few people know who is ultimately entitled to the estate, said Sante Fe probate lawyer Thomas Banner, who has no connection to the Hackman matter.

“There is no way to divine what the terms of the trust agreement are because trust agreements are intentionally private,” Banner told The Post.

Gene Hackman, wife Betsy with daughters Leslie, and Elizabeth at the premiere of his new movie "The Chamber".

It’s possible that Hackman’s kids, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie Hackman, who were born during a previous marriage and had a famously rocky relationship with their father, are named among the trust’s benefactors.

Even if not, if the named benefactors are all dead, the fortune could still go to them by default.

And even if the kids get left out in the cold entirely, an old New Mexico Supreme Court case could help them have Hackman’s will declared bogus and get the money.

The case is Chapman v. Varela, in which the court ruled that someone’s last will and testament can be overturned if “suspicious circumstances” suggest that the beneficiary had “undue influence” over it when it was written.

If a plaintiff shows such suspicious circumstances, the burden of proof flips. In other words, the will is considered under “undue influence” until the beneficiary can prove it to be legit.

Betsy Arakawa with Zinna who was found dead in her crate. Picture: Supplied

Presumably, any alleged “undue influence” would have been by Arakawa.

Hackman had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease before his death, but it is unclear when he was first diagnosed.

He also appeared to be in control of his faculties when the will was last amended in 2005. He appeared on Larry King Live in 2004 and gave a seemingly lucid interview with GQ in 2011, among other public appearances.

Still, if the kids can show its terms were blatantly unfair, a complete U-turn from his previous wills, or were kept secret from them, that could be enough to at least challenge it in court.

Banner said the secrecy of the trust “is not too surprising” considering the famously private actor, “but that might be a place where someone could argue undue influence.”

BODYCAM REVEALS MOMENT COPS ARRIVED

Heartbreaking bodycam footage has shown the moment police arrived at Gene Hackman’s house after a devastated staff member found the bodies of the Oscar winner and his wife.

The shocked worker explained he hadn’t heard from Hackman or Betsy Arakawa in a while and became suspicious when he arrived to the property and found the dogs loose.

‘They’re never supposed to be out and so at that point I knew something was wrong,’ he told police.

‘I told the officer, “You know whose house this is?” and he said, “I do, it’s Gene Hackman’s”.’

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa with two of their dogs. Picture: Supplied

The mummified bodies of the couple were discovered in separate rooms of their home in Santa Fe on February 26.

In separate footage that has emerged, Hackman’s daughter was caught on tape telling New Mexico authorities that Hackman’s dog, Zinna, found dead at the scene, should be cremated and buried with Ms Arakawa.

Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth made the request during a phone call with New Mexico authorities and featured in footage released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office Friday, TMZ reported.

“I’m thinking … cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy,” Elizabeth told a deputy in the phone call.

The revelation comes as yet another twist deepens the mystery surrounding the couple’s deaths a week apart.

Hackman’s family has filed to block the release of his and wife’s autopsy results, photos and investigation details in a “highly unusual” move.

The two-time Oscar winner, 95, and former classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their three dogs were found dead at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.

Their deaths kickstarted a weeks-long investigation, which earlier this week saw a change in the timeline after a local doctor revealed that Arakawa called his clinic on February 12 — one day after police believed she died.

Gene Hackman was found dead in his New Mexico home in February. Picture: AFP

Now, Hackman’s camp filed to block the pair’s autopsy and death investigation results, a move sources tell The Sun is “very atypical” and “highly unusual.”

“Trying to block the autopsy report is very atypical, that is not something I have ever seen before,” an insider familiar with the investigation told the outlet.

“New Mexico doesn’t have an exemption for autopsy photos, and normally it’s not a concern, but when it comes to celebrity deaths, a lot of people will request them.”

“So it’s common where family members of celebrities would use the New Mexico courts to block release of photos specifically,” the source added.

“As with the Hackmans, Michael Jackson’s family blocked Tito Jackson’s autopsy photos, and with the Alec Baldwin shooting of Halyna Hutchins, her family did the same. However, blocking the actual autopsy report, again, is highly unusual.”

The family of Gene Hackman have blocked the autopsy results of the Oscar winner and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Picture: Getty Images

Earlier this week, Hackman’s family filed a temporary restraining order with the Santa Fe court to block the Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator from releasing any images or videos of the pair’s lifeless bodies pending a hearing later this month.

In their petition to seal the photographs, the late actor’s family said he and Arakawa “lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and did not showcase their lifestyle.”

They also argued that the 14th Amendment gave family members the right to grieve without Hackman’s post-mortem photos paraded before the public.

The bizarre circumstances of the couple’s mysterious deaths — which occurred in different rooms and a week apart — have since sparked mass speculation online.

Authorities eventually revealed that Arakawa likely died of the rare, rodent-borne illness hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the bathroom of their sprawling home.

Hackman — who had been suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease — seems to have remained alive in the house for a full week before dying of heart complications in the entryway, officials said.

One of their three dogs, which was in a crate recovering from surgery, died of starvation and dehydration, a state necropsy report revealed.

Originally published as Gene Hackman’s kids could lay claim to his $128 million fortune