Man charged with murder of veteran US character actor James Handy | Los Angeles
A man has been charged with murder in the stabbing of Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy, who was in a relationship with the suspect’s mother.
Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged after police said officers found Handy, 81, unconscious with a stab wound in the chest outside his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. Handy was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.
Gledhill did not attend a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday afternoon and no plea was entered on his behalf. High court judge John H Reid ordered that he be sent to a mental health court and undergo psychological assessments. Another judge will then decide whether he is competent to stand trial.
Gledhill’s attorney, Javier Trincado, told the judge that the sheriff’s department had determined that Gledhill should not be brought into the courtroom but did not provide a reason. Trincado remained in court on other cases and could not immediately comment.
Authorities said Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. According to the ministry, police responded to the home after a 911 caller said, “I am a human being, I just killed the man of sin.”
Handy has worked as a character actor in films and television for decades, appearing in a variety of television crime procedurals.
According to authorities, bail for Gledhill, who lives in the same house with his mother, was set at $2 million.
Emails sent to Trincado and officials from the Los Angeles County public defender’s office were not immediately answered.
Born in New York, Handy has appeared in movies and TV shows for decades.
According to IMDB, he was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film Jumanji and more recently for his role as bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. He has also appeared in some of the best TV crime dramas like NCIS: Los Angeles, The Closer and Cold Case.
“I could not ask for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,” Pam Ellis-Evenas of Ellis Talent Group said in an email to The Associated Press.
