Hollywood legend claims wild theory Gene Hackman ‘murdered’ like Heath Ledger

Hollywood star Randy Quaid claims Gene Hackman and his wife were ‘murdered’ – just like he says Heath Ledger was. 

Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, were both found dead in the $3.8 million home in separate rooms by a caretaker around 1.45pm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday.

Since then, conspiracies as to how they died have swirled, despite their cause of death still being unknown and authorities saying there are no indications of foul play. 

Quaid, 74, took to X on Saturday afternoon to share his wild theory on how he thinks the Oscar-winner and his wife died, calling them ‘murder victims.’ 

‘Gene Hackman and his wife are murder victims, some scum bags did it and staged it. Stop talking about the films he is in, this is how they get away with murdering famous people!,’ the National Lampoon’s Vacation actor wrote. 

‘Fake News starts generating film clips. How is it possible I know at least 6 people who have died like Carradine, Hackman, Ledger?’ 

Ledger, 28, died in January 2008 in his New York apartment after ingesting a cocktail of prescription drugs, including painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.

Quaid, the older brother of Dennis Quaid, who has long been known for his outlandish statements, then went on to tweet: ‘I should become a special FBI agent to these investigations of Hollywood Murders!

‘I already have some good leads on who killed Gene Hackman,’ he wrote, but did not share his theories. 

This is not the first time Quaid has brought this eerie theory to light, as he and his wife, Evi Quaid, have previously referred to the suspected ‘murderers’ as ‘the Hollywood Star Whackers,’ Vanity Fair reported in 2011. 

Journalist Nancy Jo Sales took a look at the couple’s lives, as they told her that the ‘Whackers’ are the same people who might have ‘killed’ Ledger and late actor David Carradine. 

The Kung Fu Killer star died in June 2009 from asphyxiation after he was discovered hanging in a hotel room in Bangkok. His death was ruled an accident. 

The couple also told Sales that they believe the ‘Whackers’ set up Robert Blake over the murder of his second wife, and have looked to target other high profile celebrities, including Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan. 

The pair were suspected of living in their Toyota Prius at the time, as Sales, who saw the crammed vehicle, recalled: ‘The car smelled of fast food and dog pee and Randy’s cigars. I asked the Quaids if they were living in their car. “Only on nights when we’re too terrified to leave our stuff or don’t feel secure,” Evi said. 

‘”We used to have a Mercedes. This whole ordeal has forced us to become incredibly green.”‘ 

Quaid and his wife also have a lengthy criminal history, as they were arrested in 2009 for leaving a hotel in Santa Barbara without paying. 

A year later, the couple were arrested again for squatting in their former home in Montecito, California. 

The property owner’s representative provided documents that showed his client had bought the home in 2007 from a man who had purchased it from the Quaid’s several years earlier.

A contractor showed police more than $5,000 in damages to the guest house, which he alleged was caused by the couple.

In 2015, they were nabbed once again while they tried to cross into the United States from Canada after failing to appear in court. 

The couple were arrested on fugitive charges related to their 2010 trespassing allegation. 

Evi, a film director from New Jersey, told the outlet that she and her husband suspected they were being followed by the ‘Whackers’ as well. 

‘They’re hunting us. It’s really happening. They’ve got us in a spiral. “Don’t let up on ’em. Drive ’em off the road. Starve ’em to death.”,’ Evi said at the time. 

‘She was slapping her hands together for emphasis. “Pull their money out of their bank accounts”.’

Two days after Hackman and Arakawa were discovered, police announced that they believe The French Connection actor died on February 17, after finding that was the day his pacemaker stopped recording his heartbeat.

Investigators probing their deaths soon found a prescription bottle, surrounded by pills on the countertop in the actor’s home. 

Three medications were removed from the home, including Diltiazem, a blood pressure medication; a thyroid medication, and Tylenol, according to Huffington Post, which cited a search warrant.

Santa Fe Sheriff Adam Mendoza told the Today Show on Friday that the prescription bottle ‘is something of concern.’ 

Mendoza said the medication has been passed onto the medical examiner’s office to help them make a cause of death determination. It could be months before the toxicology results come back.

‘We’re looking at that specifically and other medications, of course, that were possibly in the residence,’ he told Today.

‘But we’re hoping [the report] comes sooner than later so we can answer some of these questions and hopefully it’ll help us in our investigation to help determine… the matter and cause of death.’

Hackman was found in the mudroom with his sunglasses nearby – causing police to speculate that he had ‘suddenly fallen.’

His wife was discovered lying on her side in the bathroom near a space heater. Police also speculate that she too ‘abruptly fell to the ground,’ according to the affidavit.

The spilled pill bottle was found near Arakawa, who was found with signs of decay, including body decomposition and bloating to her face, hands and feet. Her husband had similar decomposition.

The couple’s dog was also found deceased in a closet near Arakawa.

Police do not suspect foul play, despite the front door being found ‘ajar.’ There were no signs of forced entry into the home.

‘I think I’m pretty confident that there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence,’ Mendoza later told Today. ‘But, of course, we’re not ruling that out.’

Suspicions that the couple and their pooch died from a gas leak have been ruled out by the Santa Fe Fire Department, according to Chief Brian Moya.

Officials said that there was no trace of the deadly gas in the bodies of the couple, and that there was still no official cause of death.