James Handy’s stabbing murder charge filed in Los Angeles

Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged with murder in the stabbing death of actor James Handy, 81, outside a Los Angeles home. Handy was found stabbed in the chest and later pronounced dead. The suspect did not enter a plea at his arraignment after his lawyer told

By Friday afternoon, the courtroom in Los Angeles Superior Court already felt too small for what had happened outside a home on Wednesday.

Michael Gledhill. 44. was charged with murder in the stabbing death of James Handy. an 81-year-old character actor known for roles including an exterminator in the 1995 film “Jumanji” and the bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick.” Police said officers found Handy stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside the home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.

Gledhill did not appear at his arraignment Friday afternoon, and no plea was entered. Javier Trincado, Gledhill’s lawyer, told Judge John H. Reid that his client was “unable to assist” in his defense. Trincado also said the sheriff’s department did not bring Gledhill to the courtroom, without providing a reason.

Reid ordered that Gledhill be sent to mental health court and undergo psychological evaluations. Another judge will decide whether he is competent for trial.

The case began with what police described as an unusually jarring 911 call. Authorities said they responded to the home after a caller stated: “I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin. ” according to the department. Investigators later arrested Gledhill after he told police he was the person they were looking for.

Outside the courtroom, the Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said Handy deserved to enjoy his later years with his loved ones and that the person who took his life should be held accountable.

“This is not how anyone’s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,” Hochman said in a statement.

Bail was set at $2 million for Gledhill, according to authorities. If convicted, he faces up to 26 years to life in prison, according to the district attorney’s office.

Friends and industry colleagues described Handy as steady, funny, and full of curiosity. Actor Brian Delate said he knew Handy for more than four decades after meeting him at a Vietnam veterans theater company in New York. Delate recalled Handy as someone with a great sense of humor who was always curious.

Delate also said Handy had mentioned, in passing over the past couple of years, that the son of Handy’s girlfriend—Gledhill—had mental health problems. “I didn’t think much of it, because he just kind of mentioned it casually,” Delate told The Associated Press.

Handy’s girlfriend, Delate said, had fixed up the garage so her son could live there. Delate added that Handy had his own home.

Jeff Hawks, who said he’s been friends with Handy for about 10 years after they met at an audition, described him as hilarious and said Handy would belt out doo-wop songs when they went out to bars.

“I can’t imagine who would ever have a beef with him,” Hawks said. “To me, it’s impossible. He was just really a decent guy.”

Delate said the death carried an extra weight because of what Handy’s life connected to historically. “If he’d just passed away from an illness or something like that. this would be a very different experience. ” Delate said. “But because of the nature of how he died and the fact that we lived in an arena of killing back in the ’60s. it has a different resonance.”.

Others close to Handy described him in similarly personal terms. Pam Ellis-Evenas, from the Ellis Talent Group, said in an email to The Associated Press: “I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy.”

Emails sent to Trincado and officials from the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office were not immediately answered.

For now. the case turns on the next steps ordered by the court—mental health evaluations and a determination of competency—while the charge itself keeps attention fixed on what happened on Wednesday: an 81-year-old man found stabbed in the chest outside a home. and a suspect arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for.

James Handy Michael Gledhill stabbing murder charge Los Angeles Superior Court mental health court Nathan J. Hochman