The quiet morning on June 3 shattered into chaos when a 911 call came in with a chilling confession: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.” That call led Los Angeles police to a home in the city, where they found 81-year-old actor James Handy lying in the front yard, stabbed in the chest. He died later at the hospital.
Handy, known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick, Jumanji, and Arachnophobia, was allegedly attacked by Michael Gledhill, the 44-year-old son of his longtime girlfriend, Wendy Gledhill. Michael was arrested at the scene after flagging down officers and identifying himself as the suspect. He now faces one count of murder, with bail set at $2 million. As of Friday, June 5, he remains in custody.
Wendy Gledhill told TMZ that her son has schizophrenia and had stopped taking his medication about a week before the attack. In a statement, she expressed her grief: “They know I loved him so much. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m still in shock. I still can’t comprehend it.” It remains unclear whether she was home at the time of the incident.
Handy’s career spanned 45 years, with memorable roles in television and film. He appeared in the original 1995 Jumanji as an exterminator, in 2017’s Logan as a doctor, and in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable as a priest. On TV, he played CIA Director Arthur Devlin on Alias from 2002 to 2006 and Lou Handleman on Profiler. His final role was in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, where he played a bartender named Jimmy.
His agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas, paid tribute: “I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy.” Handy also produced and starred in the 2022 drama Street to Table. His last public appearance was at a 2017 screening of Senior Entourage, a mockumentary described as a comedy about nothing, featuring a cast that included Jamie Lee Curtis and Laverne Cox.
USA TODAY has reached out to Handy’s representative for further comment.
