Every morning for James Handy followed a familiar routine, and June 3 began no differently.
The seasoned character actor would arise and step out onto his porch, retrieving the newspaper to accompany his morning coffee.
However, this day took a tragic turn when Handy, 81, encountered Michael Gledhill, his girlfriend’s son, who was reportedly struggling with mental health issues and not adhering to his schizophrenia treatment.
What started as an argument tragically escalated, and Gledhill allegedly fatally stabbed Handy in the front yard of the $875,000 residence shared with Gledhill’s mother, Wendy.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Monday, Wendy provided new insights into the chaotic and heartbreaking events of that morning.
“James went to pick up the newspaper around 9 a.m., but he didn’t brew his usual coffee,” Wendy recounted with sorrow from behind the door of their three-bedroom home in Tarzana, a serene and affluent part of northwest Los Angeles.
‘I just heard the door open because he was getting the paper.’
Wendy was still in bed and thought there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Wendy Glenhill spoke to the Daily Mail and revealed new details about the chaotic scene and Handy’s tragic final moments
Handy and Glenhill were dating for over 30 years and her son moved in with them in 2024
With hindsight, she said: ‘I can only assume my son was already out there and they started to argue, from my understanding, on the front yard.’
About 30 minutes later, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department knocked on her front door.
‘I didn’t know what was going on,’ Wendy said.
‘The first time I heard something was happening was when the police showed up.
‘They said someone had called 911 and they told me someone was wrapped in a blanket outside the house.
‘At first I didn’t know who they were talking about. Then they told me to get away from the door because they thought there was still someone dangerous outside.’
Gledhill, 44, had lived with Handy and his mother at the property for two years before the attack.
The home is about 20 miles from where Nick Reiner is accused of murdering his famous parents in what is alleged to be a similarly shocking family tragedy.
Nick has pleaded not guilty.
Wendy – who was Handy’s girlfriend for more than 30 years – believes her son suffered a mental health break linked to schizophrenia after stopping his medication the previous week.
‘So I don’t think he was taking it at the time [of the alleged attack], but I don’t know for sure,’ she said.
The tragedy unfolded in Tarzana, LA – about 20 miles from where Nick Reiner allegedly killed his famous parents
Gledhill was handcuffed and taken into police custody hours after he allegedly killed the beloved actor
She added that she has no idea what could have sparked the confrontation between her beloved partner and her son.
Security footage from a neighbor showed Gledhill casually walking down the sidewalk after the attack.
When West Valley Patrol officers arrived at the 19200 block of Erwin Street, they found Handy ‘in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest.’
LAPD officials said it was Michael Gledhill who called 911 around 9:30 a.m. and allegedly told the dispatcher: ‘I am the son of man. I just killed a man of sin.’
Gledhill was seen returning to the house a short time later and flagged down arriving officers. He told police he was the man they were looking for, according to LAPD officials.
Neighbors who spoke to the Daily Mail said Handy collapsed just a few feet from the front yard. A large dark stain, possibly dried blood, remains where the veteran actor fell.
Handy was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died, according to LAPD.
Several neighbors said Gledhill and Handy had been heard arguing loudly the night before the fatal confrontation.
The actor, 81, was most recently seen alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said her father had a run-in with Gledhill about a year ago. The 44-year-old allegedly knocked on their door and demanded to know why their home surveillance cameras were pointed at him.
‘We knew there was something not right with him, so we just tried to stay away,’ the neighbor told the Daily Mail. ‘But the older couple was always very nice. It’s just very tragic what happened.’
Wendy said her son had been living at the house for about two years but ‘hasn’t worked in a while.’
Her voice shaking, Wendy said she remains in shock and has not left the home since the tragedy because she is ‘beyond devastated.’
‘I was with James for 31 years and of course I loved him dearly,’ she said. ‘This is so difficult.’
Handy amassed nearly 150 film and television credits during his career, including roles in The West Wing and Castle. Most recently, he appeared in Top Gun: Maverick as bartender Jimmy.
Handy as the exterminator in the 1995 film, Jumanji, where he starred alongside Kirsten Dunst
Michael Gledhill (pictured in 2000) was a top volleyball player at Taft High School
His film credits also included Logan, in which he played the doctor who treated Hugh Jackman’s titular character, and the 1995 hit Jumanji, where he portrayed the exterminator.
‘With great sadness, I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy,’ his talent agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas, said in a statement.
‘I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy.’
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged Gledhill with one count of murder and a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife.
An LA judge last week scheduled a June 22 hearing in Hollywood Mental Health Court and set Gledhill’s bail at $2,020,000.
If convicted, he faces up to 26 years to life in state prison.
