A Los Angeles Medical Examiner ruled that Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy died from a stab wound to the torso and neck compression. The 81-year-old was attacked on June 3 inside his L.A. home, then pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital. Authoriti
The reality of James Handy’s death is now set out in medical detail. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner ruled that the Top Gun: Maverick actor was killed not only by a stab wound, but also by “neck compression,” identified as another major factor in his demise.
The M.E. determined Handy died from a stab wound to the torso and neck compression. Neck compression, according to the ruling, is caused by age-related wear and tear in the nerve roots of the neck when they’re squeezed or placed under abnormal pressure.
Handy was 81. He was attacked with a knife by his girlfriend’s son, Michael Gledhill, inside Handy’s L.A. home on June 3, authorities said. After the attack, police found Handy seriously wounded in his front yard. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gledhill walked away from the crime scene, but the case moved quickly after police tracked him through Ring camera footage obtained by TMZ. The footage showed him casually passing by a neighbor’s house before he didn’t get far—officers arrested him soon afterward, also on video.
The legal case is now underway in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Gledhill with one count of murder with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon: a knife.
Across the timeline—an attack inside Handy’s L.A. home on June 3. serious wounds found in his front yard. and a rapid arrest captured on Ring footage—the facts point to an investigation that didn’t stall after the initial response. Now. with the Medical Examiner’s ruling describing both the stab wound and the neck compression. the focus shifts to how the harm occurred and what it means for a prosecution centered on murder and the alleged use of a knife.
James Handy Top Gun: Maverick Los Angeles Medical Examiner neck compression murder charge Michael Gledhill Nathan Hochman Ring camera June 3 2026