A judge found on Monday that a man charged with murder in the stabbing of actor James Handy isn’t mentally competent for criminal court proceedings. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi ruled that 44-year-old Michael Gledhill can’t understand the case against him and can’t rationally assist his lawyer in his own defense, reports the AP. Handy, the 81-year-old actor whose credits include Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, was in a relationship with Gledhill’s mother and was found stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside her home on June 3, police and prosecutors said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Officers had responded to the home after a 911 caller said, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” police said. Gledhill hasn’t entered a plea and hasn’t appeared in court in the case. At his scheduled arraignment on June 5, a judge paused his prosecution and sent the case to a court that specializes in mental health evaluation. That court ruled promptly after psychiatric evaluations that he wasn’t competent.
Cavalluzzi also found at Monday’s hearing that Gledhill can’t make proper medication decisions. She signed an order saying he could be involuntarily medicated for one year, citing a psychiatrist’s determination that his mental health could be hugely helped by proper drugs. She ordered him to appear in court on July 14 for a hearing on his long-term placement. Gledhill’s case will head to trial if he’s later found to be competent. Emails seeking comment from attorneys for both sides weren’t immediately answered.
Brian Delate, a longtime friend of Handy, tells the AP that Gledhill’s mother had fixed up her garage so her son could live there. Handy had his own home, but he spent much of his time there, per Delate. He noted that Handy had mentioned in passing that his girlfriend’s son had mental health problems. Handy, a ubiquitous character actor, appeared in films and 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. He also appeared in many of TV’s top crime dramas, including NCIS: Los Angeles, The Closer, and Cold Case.
