Suspect in Top Gun actor James Handy stabbing seen calmly walking back home in doorbell footage
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: 20th Century Fox
A man believed to be the suspect detained on suspicion of murder after James Handy was stabbed to death was seen casually walking back to his home in doorbell footage.
The 81-year-old Top Gun actor was fatally stabbed on Wednesday (June 3), as the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call to the Tarzana neighborhood at around 9.30am local time.
The actor was found unconscious with a stab wound to his chest in the front yard of his home when police arrived, before he was taken to a local hospital.
Sadly, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Advert
Michael Gledhill, 44, the son of Handy's girlfriend, has since been detained on suspicion of murder, with authorities saying he flagged down and handed himself in to nearby police officers who arrived at the scene.
He was taken to Van Nuys Jail and booked on one count of murder. Gledhill's bail was set at $2 million.
Doorbell footage obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles and captured by a neighbor showed a man who appears to be the suspect casually strolling down the sidewalk.
Wearing a pink shirt and blue pants, the man, believed to be Gledhill, could be seen touching his face as he left his home.
Police say the original 911 caller told them: "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."
A statement from the LAPD following the incident said: "On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to a radio call of unknown trouble in the 19200 block of Erwin Street.
“The 911 caller stated, ‘I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.'
"Upon their arrival, officers discovered 81-year-old James Handy in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. The victim was transported to [a] local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced deceased.”
Police have reassured the general public that this is an 'isolated incident' and there is no immediate danger to the community at this time.
Handy was best known for his roles in Jumanji and Arachnophobia, with his final credit being in Top Gun: Maverick, in which he played a bartender.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Section, Detective Simonyan or Detective Lopez, at (818) 374-9550. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.