LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� A man was charged with murder Friday in the stabbing of 鈥淛umanji鈥� and 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� actor James Handy, who was in a relationship with the suspect’s mother.
Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Handy was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.
Gledhill did not appear at an arraignment Friday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court and no plea was entered for him. Javier Trincado, Gledhill鈥檚 lawyer, said his client is 鈥渦nable to assist鈥� in his defense and told the judge that the sheriff鈥檚 department did not bring Gledhill to the courtroom, but did not provide a reason.
Superior Court Judge John H. Reid ordered that Gledhill be sent to mental health court and undergo psychological evaluations. Another judge will decide whether he is competent for trial.
Authorities say Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Police had responded to the home after a 911 caller stated: 鈥淚 am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,鈥� according to the department.
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.
鈥淭his is not how anyone鈥檚 life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,鈥� he said in a statement.
Handy was a character actor in films and on TV for decades, including appearances in a variety of television crime procedurals.
Actor Brian Delate knew Handy for more than four decades after meeting him at a Vietnam veterans theater company in New York. Delate described him as someone with a great sense of humor who was always curious.
Delate told The Associated Press that a few times over the past couple of years, Handy mentioned in passing that his girlfriend’s son had mental health problems.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think much of it, because he just kind of mentioned it casually,鈥� he said.
Handy’s girlfriend had fixed up the garage so her son could live there, Delate said. Handy had his own home.
Bail was set at $2 million for Gledhill, according to authorities. If convicted, Gledhill faces up to 26 years to life in prison, according to the district attorney鈥檚 office.
Emails sent to Trincado and officials from the Los Angeles County Public Defender鈥檚 Office were not immediately answered.
Born in New York, Handy appeared in films and TV shows for decades.
He was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film 鈥淛umanji鈥� and more recently as the bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick,鈥� according to IMDB. He鈥檚 also appeared in some of the top TV crime dramas, including 鈥淣CIS: Los Angeles,鈥� 鈥淭he Closer鈥� and 鈥淐old Case.鈥�
鈥淚 could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,鈥� Pam Ellis-Evenas, from the Ellis Talent Group, said in an email to The Associated Press.
Jeff Hawks, who said he’s been friends with Handy for about 10 years after they met at an audition, described him as a hilarious man who had a habit of belting out doo-wop songs when they’d go out to bars.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine who would ever have a beef with him,” he said. “To me, it鈥檚 impossible. He was just really a decent guy.鈥�
With Vietnam in mind, Delate lamented how his friend died.
鈥淚f he鈥檇 just passed away from an illness or something like that, this would be a very different experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut 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.鈥�
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Associated Press journalist Philip Marcelo contributed from New York City.
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