James Handy’s girlfriend’s son, Michael Gledhill, has officially been charged with one count of murder after the “Top Gun: Maverick” actor was fatally stabbed Wednesday.
“This is not how anyone’s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a press release on Friday.
“The victim, James Handy, deserved to live out his later years enjoying what he had worked so hard for and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about. Like all murder victims, his life mattered and the person who inexplicably and violently took it must be held accountable for his actions.”
Gledhill is expected to be arraigned today at the Van Nuys Courthouse.
Handy was found unconscious and bleeding out after he was repeatedly stabbed in the chest at his girlfriend’s home in Tarzana, California, Wednesday morning, according to a police report.
He was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead there, police said.
According to 911 call audio, Gledhill told dispatch after the attack, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
When authorities arrived, police claim Gledhill flagged down the cops and confessed to stabbing Handy.
Before he was taken into custody, Gledhill was seen walking through the neighborhood away from his home, where the incident took place.
While speaking with The California Post on Friday, Handy’s former girlfriend Wendy Gledhill said she “can’t believe” her son allegedly stabbed the “Jumanji” actor.
“I’m just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time,” 76-year-old Wendy said outside her home in the Los Angeles area city of Tarzana.
Wendy added that she “loved James and my son” and “can’t believe” Michael allegedly murdered Handy.
In an interview with TMZ on Friday, Wendy revealed that Michael was struggling with serious mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but had stopped taking his medication.
She claimed her son had become increasingly paranoid and was prescribed medication after his July 2025 schizophrenia diagnosis, but she learned he stopped taking his meds a week before Handy’s murder.
Wendy said Michael and Handy “didn’t always see eye to eye” but had a “generally cordial” relationship.
Michael is currently being held at the Van Nuys Jail with his bail set at $2 million. If convicted, Gledhill faces up to 26 years to life in state prison.
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