Veteran character actor James Handy’s final morning began with a simple routine he had followed for years: stepping outside his Tarzana home to grab the newspaper and make coffee.
Instead, the 81-year-old “Top Gun: Maverick” actor was allegedly stabbed to death in his front yard by the son of his longtime girlfriend in a shocking attack that has left family and neighbors reeling.
Now, Handy’s devastated partner of more than three decades is revealing new details about the tragedy.
“James had gotten up to get the newspaper at about 9 o’clock, but he didn’t make the coffee like he usually does,” Wendy Gledhill told the Daily Mail from the couple’s three-bedroom home in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.
“I just heard the door open because he was getting the paper.”
Wendy said she remained in bed and initially thought nothing was wrong. Looking back, she believes her son, Michael Gledhill, 44, was already outside when Handy stepped onto the front lawn.
“I can only assume my son was already out there and they started to argue, from my understanding, on the front yard,” she said.
About 30 minutes later, police arrived at the door.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Wendy recalled. “The first time I heard something was happening was when the police showed up.”
Authorities said Gledhill called 911 around 9:30 a.m. and allegedly told a dispatcher: “I am the son of man. I just killed a man of sin.”
When officers arrived at the residence, they found Handy unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to the chest. He was rushed to a hospital but later died.
Chilling surveillance footage previously obtained by FOX 11 showed Gledhill casually walking away from the scene before returning and surrendering to police. Investigators said he flagged down officers and identified himself as the suspect they were seeking.
Wendy believes her son, who had been living with the couple for about two years, suffered a mental-health crisis after allegedly stopping medication prescribed for schizophrenia.
“So I don’t think he was taking it at the time [of the alleged attack], but I don’t know for sure,” she told the Daily Mail.
Several neighbors said they heard loud arguments coming from the home the night before the killing and said Gledhill had exhibited troubling behavior in the past.
“We knew there was something not right with him, so we just tried to stay away,” one neighbor said. “But the older couple was always very nice. It’s just very tragic what happened.”
Handy built a career spanning nearly 150 film and television credits, including roles in “The West Wing,” “Castle,” “Logan,” “Jumanji” and, most recently, “Top Gun: Maverick,” where he played bartender Jimmy.
“I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,” his agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas, said.
Gledhill has been charged with murder and a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon. His bail was set at $2.02 million. If convicted, he faces up to 26 years to life in prison.
