James Handy Murder

James Handy Murder

A man was charged with murder Friday (local time) in the stabbing of Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy, who was his mother’s boyfriend.

Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and unconscious outside his home in Los Angeles on USA Wednesday. Handy was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.Gledhill was expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court.

USA Authorities say Gledhill was arrested after telling USA police he was the person they were looking for. USA Police had responded to the home after a USA 911 caller stated: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” according to the USA department.

Handy was a character actor in films and on USA TV for decades, including appearances in a variety of television crime procedurals.Bail was set at US$2 million for Gledhill, who lives at home with his mother, according to USA authorities.It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Jail records did not show an attorney for him, and messages left with the county public defender’s office were not immediately returned.Born in New York, Handy appeared in films and USA TV shows for decades.

He was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film Jumanji and more recently as the bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick, according to IMDB. He’s also appeared in some of the top USA TV crime dramas, including NCIS: Los Angeles, The Closer and Cold Case.“I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,” Pam Ellis-Evenas, from the Ellis Talent Group, said in an email to The USA Associated Press.

A routine Los Angeles morning turned into a deeply unsettling crime scene this week, as new details continue to emerge in the investigation into the death of veteran Hollywood actor James Handy. With surveillance clips and emergency call transcripts now surfacing, authorities are slowly piecing together the final moments surrounding the fatal stabbing.

According to reports from FOX 11 USA Los Angeles, newly obtained USA CCTV footage appears to show the primary suspect, 44-year-old Michael Gledhill, moving away from the residence shortly after the incident. Gledhill has been identified by police as the son of Handy’s girlfriend, adding a disturbing personal dimension to an already tragic case.

The footage, reportedly sourced from a neighbour’s Ring security camera and shared via TMZ, USA allegedly captures Gledhill walking calmly along a sidewalk outside the Los Angeles property before later returning to the same location. While the visuals have sparked widespread attention, officials have not independently confirmed the authenticity of the circulated video. However, law enforcement has confirmed that Gledhill has been taken into custody in connection with Handy’s death.

Further details reported by USA TMZ point to a chilling sequence of events following the alleged attack. Emergency services are said to have received a 911 call in which Gledhill reportedly made an unsettling statement. “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin," he allegedly told emergency operators, according to the outlet.

The USA Los Angeles Police Department stated that Handy was discovered unconscious outside his residence with a stab wound to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared dead. Police arrested Gledhill shortly after the incident and booked him into LAPD’s Valley jail on a murder charge. Reports also suggest that he is being held on a $2 million bond. Authorities have not yet disclosed a possible motive behind the attack.

The loss has sent shockwaves through Hollywood circles, where Handy was remembered as a steady and respected character actor with a career spanning several decades. Over the years, he appeared in numerous film and television projects, including notable titles such as Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, earning recognition for his consistent supporting roles.As details continue to surface, the case has drawn significant public attention, especially after FOX 11 Los Angeles aired the surveillance footage referenced in reports. The investigation remains active, with officials yet to release further information regarding what may have led to the fatal confrontation inside the home.Further details reported by USA TMZ point to a chilling sequence of events following the alleged attack. Emergency services are said to have received a 911 call in which Gledhill reportedly made an unsettling statement. “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin," he allegedly told emergency operators, according to the outlet.

The Los Angeles USA Police Department stated that Handy was discovered unconscious outside his residence with a stab wound to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared dead. Police arrested Gledhill shortly after the incident and booked him into LAPD’s Valley jail on a murder charge. Reports also suggest that he is being held on a $2 million bond. Authorities have not yet disclosed a possible motive behind the attack.

The loss has sent shockwaves through Hollywood circles, where Handy was remembered as a steady and respected USA character actor with a career spanning several decades. Over the years, he appeared in numerous film and television projects, including notable titles such as Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, earning recognition for his consistent supporting roles.As details continue to surface, the case has drawn significant USA public attention, especially after FOX 11 Los Angeles aired the surveillance footage referenced in reports. The investigation remains active, with officials yet to release further information regarding what may have led to the fatal confrontation inside the home.The statement continued, "Like all murder victims, his life mattered and the USA person who inexplicably and violently took it must be held USA accountable for his actions."Handy, an actor known for various roles in films like "Jumanji" and "Top Gun: Maverick," was killed early Wednesday morning. According to USA police, a 911 caller stated: "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."When officers arrived, they found Handy, 81, unconscious in the front yard suffering from a stab wound to the chest. USA Authorities said Handy was transported to a local hospital, where he was later USA pronounced dead.New information has emerged regarding the death of actor James Handy.Two days after the 81-year-old was killed, his girlfriend's son Michael Gledhill was charged with fatally USA stabbing the actor outside his mother's home in Tarzana, Calif., on June 3, according to a June 5 press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

Gledhill, 44, was charged with one count of murder "with a special allegation that he personally used a USA deadly weapon, a knife."L.A. County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman reflected on Handy's death in the press release, saying, "This is not how anyone's life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home.""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," he continued. "Like all murder victims, his life mattered and the person who inexplicably and violently took it must be held accountable for his actions."

If convicted of the murder charge, Gledhill faces up to 26 years to life in state prison. The district attorney noted that prosecutors recommended his bail be set at $2.02 million.USA Los Angeles Police Department officers had responded to a 911 call on June 3, with the LAPD sharing in a statement, per the Los Angeles Times, the caller told the operator, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."Upon arrival at the home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Tarzana, they found Handy stabbed and lying in the front yard.Gledhill allegedly flagged down police officers, according to the L.A. Times, and told them he was the person they were looking for. He had been living at the home with his mother, Handy's girlfriend.While Gledhill was arrested, Handy was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.Handy was best known for his roles in films like Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji. He was also a prolific television actor, appearing on several popular USA TV shows throughout his career, including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, ER, The West Wing, The Practice, Alias and The Young and the Restless.British actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in TV shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ted Lasso, Merlin and Little Britain, has died at the age of 72.Head found international fame as Rupert Giles in hit supernatural teen show Buffy in the late 1990s.

He went on to have a recurring role in sketch show Little Britain as the prime minister, he played king Uther Pendragon in the BBC's Merlin, and appeared as former football club owner Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso."He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family," his daughters Emily and Daisy said.His daughters' statement said "it is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father"."It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many."They also said they knew "how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues and fans of the show he was in", adding that he "loved his job very much" and "always considered himself incredibly lucky".His family acknowledged that "his legacy will live on" and said they considered themselves "lucky" to have watched him doing what he loved throughout his career.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the eponymous Buffy, posted a selection of pictures of her with Head on Instagram."'Tell Giles I figured it out and I'm ok'. Well, I don't have it figured out and I'm not ok. But I know I'm the lucky one because I knew you," she wrote."Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world."David Boreanaz, who also starred alongside Head in Buffy, said: "RIP. He was so kind and generous of a soul."Fellow Buffy co-star James Marsters said: "He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast... I was lucky to have known, and learned from him."Little Britain creator and star Matt Lucas described Head as "unfailingly brilliant, and always so kind and warm"."When we were casting Little Britain, we were looking for a 'Tony Head-type ', because we never imagined for a moment that the man himself would be interested, but he was. Lucky us," Lucas said.

Head's other credits included playing Geoffrey Howe in The Iron Lady and appearing in Doctor Who, Persuasion, The Inbetweeners and USA Manchild.He also starred in Ted Lasso from 2020 as former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham's character Rebecca Welton.Brett Goldstein, their co-star and a writer on the show, said: "Anthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the USA best person."Head first found fame in the UK in the 1980s as the face of Nescafe coffee adverts on TV.He was part of the Gold Blend couple alongside Sharon Maughan, with their coffee-themed romance ads becoming popular between 1987 and 1993.Maughan told BBC News she was "broken-hearted" at the loss of Head.

"I guess they were iconic, I don't think that was the intention at the beginning," she said. "Tony and I were just two actors who got this job, and we had a really lovely friendship...Head starred in numerous popular British shows during his career, also including Motherland, Silent Witness and Doctor Who.His last acting credits included Bridgerton in 2022, in which he starred in one episode in series two.He joined the cast of BBC Radio 4's long-running drama The Archers in 2018, playing Robin Fairbrother.The actor also enjoyed a long stage career, performing in several iterations of The Rocky Horror Show and musicals such as Godspell and Chess.Born in Camden, London, in 1954, Head's mother was actress Helen Shingler, best known for BBC TV series Maigret, and his father Seafield Head, a documentary maker.He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).Head lost his long-term partner Sarah Fisher, who was an animal welfare campaigner, in December 2025 at the age of 61.His daughters Emily, 37 and Daisy, 35, both work as actors - with Emily best known for playing Carli D'Amato in The Inbetweeners.Daisy has appeared in TV shows including Harlots and Shadow and Bone.His brother Murray is also an actor, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday and the USA musical Chess.

James Handy, a veteran actor who appeared in films such as Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, was found stabbed to death in USA Los Angeles on Wednesday, police said.Michael Gledhill, the son of Handy's girlfriend, has been arrested in connection with the killing.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to a home in Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley on Wednesday morning after a 911 caller said, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."

They found the 81-year-old in the front yard of a residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. Paramedics took Handy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.The 44-year-old suspect, who lives at the residence with his mother, flagged down responding officers, police said, telling them he was the one they were looking for. Gledhill was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of one count of murder. His bail was set at $2 million, according to jail records.

Born in New York, Handy was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film Jumanji and as bartender Jimmy in Tom Cruise's 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick.He also appeared in the 1990 movie Arachnophobia, as a coroner who examines spider-bite victims, as well as in TV crime dramas including NCIS: Los Angeles, CSI:NY, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law.

"With great sadness I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy," his agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas, said in a statement. "I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend."Writer Don Winslow, who co-created the 2001 TV crime drama UC: Undercover, posted on X: "James Handy was a terrific actor and we were honored to have him on UC: Undercover in a recurring role. His performances were always special."The neighbors of Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy are speaking out about his relationship with Wendy Gledhill.Handy was fatally stabbed on Wednesday, June 3, at his Los Angeles home. Wendy's son, Michael Gledhill, has been arrested in connection with Handy's death, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Michael lived with Wendy and Handy.The LAPD claimed an individual called 911 and said, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin." Gledhill allegedly flagged down responding officers and told them he was who they were looking for.

Then on Friday, June 5, Michael was charged with one count of murder, along with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly USA weapon, a knife, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He is facing 26 years to life in prison.Superior Court Judge John H. Reid ordered that Michael be transferred to mental health court and undergo psychological evaluations. He is being held on $2.02 million bail. Michael's next court appearance is scheduled for June 22.

PEOPLE spoke exclusively with Wendy's neighbor, Aaron Titelman, who called Handy and Wendy "the nice neighbors around the corner that had the cat that likes to pay a visit." Titelman, 57, says that Handy had lived with Wendy for at least three years but did not know that Michael also lived there.He shares that Handy was a big Mets fan and a "very humble and kind" man who was a "really solid person." Titelman says the actor was "just a down-to-earth type of dude, just wanted to talk baseball and the cats.""They're just always really friendly, just like most of the neighbors around here," he says, sharing that they are "good people and always welcoming and friendly.""I was lucky I had the chance to at least interact with them," Titelman says. "I really regret the fact that I didn't take advantage and just see him one last time. Life's too short."Titelman calls Handy's death a "terrible shock," explaining, "You hear about these things in the news, and it never happens to someone that you know, but this one definitely landed at our back doorstep."Next-door neighbor Jerry Merrill tells PEOPLE that he saw a pair of "bloody pants on the sidewalk," but did not know whether the pants were Michael's or Handy's.

Merrill, 56, and his family moved next door to Wendy, Michael and Handy around two and a half years ago, but he had his first interaction with Michael six months ago, which he described as a "confrontation.""On occasion, I would go to help bring garbage bins out and back, and he would see me and duck into the house and be avoided," Merrill says, explaining he would see Michael walking around the neighborhood by himself.Merrill was at work at the time of the killing, but tells PEOPLE he has seen the footage of Michael walking around the neighborhood after the stabbing."It was a pretty common occurrence for him to just sort of walk around the neighborhood. So on this particular occasion, something horrible had happened, and he was just living in his own space and taking his walk around the neighborhood."He explains that the entire situation is "shocking" and "horrible." Merrill says he keeps thinking of Wendy. "I cannot even imagine what she must be going through.""That's her baby. She gave birth to this little baby boy [and] was all excited," he says. "And now that story has come to an end, as [she] raised a murderer," Merrill says. "The other man in her life is dead as a result. It's horrible. It's really bad."

Posted on 2026/06/06 11:36 AM