Autopsy findings suggest that "Top Gun: Maverick" actor James Handy may have been incapacitated by neck compression before he was fatally stabbed, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office. The report indicates that evidence found during the autopsy supports the possibility that the neck compression occurred prior to the infliction of the stab wound, potentially incapacitating Handy before the stabbing.
Handy's death was attributed to multiple traumatic injuries resulting from a combination of a stab wound to the torso and neck compression. The manner of death has been officially ruled a homicide.
Authorities claim that Handy was involved in a verbal altercation with his girlfriend's son, Michael Gledhill, which escalated into a physical confrontation. Investigators allege that Gledhill then mounted Handy, dragged him to the side of the residence, entered the home, and returned with a knife to stab the actor. Both Gledhill and the weapon were taken into custody.
Gledhill, 44, was charged on June 5 with one count of murder, with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife. He did not appear at his arraignment, where a judge ordered him to undergo psychological evaluations in mental health court to determine his competency for trial.
According to police, officers responding to the scene found the 81-year-old actor stabbed and unconscious outside a Los Angeles home. He was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Gledhill is being held on $2 million bail and faces up to 26 years in prison if convicted. His arrest followed a confession, after which police reported that a 911 caller stated, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin." Investigators added that Gledhill flagged down officers upon their arrival, identifying himself as the person they were seeking.
Gledhill is the son of Handy's girlfriend of 30 years, Wendy Gledhill. Actor Brian Delate, a friend of Handy's for over four decades, told The Associated Press that Handy had casually mentioned in recent years that his girlfriend's son had mental health issues. Delate also noted that Handy's girlfriend had arranged for her son to live in the garage of her home, while Handy maintained his own residence.
Handy, who was born in New York, had a career spanning decades in film and television. He is remembered for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film "Jumanji" and more recently as bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film "Top Gun: Maverick." His television credits include appearances in crime dramas such as "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Closer," and "Cold Case."