Girlfriend of Top Gun actor James Handy speaks out after her son is accused of stabbing him to death
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: Sony Pictures
Wendy Gledhill the girlfriend of the late actor James Handy has broken her silence over his murder - including the role her son allegedly played in it.
Handy died of a single stab wound to his chest outside his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday June 3, police confirmed earlier this week.
The prime suspect in the case is Wendy’s son Michael Gledhill, who was taken into custody and booked for one count of murder after he ‘flagged down nearby responding officers, telling them he was the one they were looking for.’ He is currently being held in Van Nuys jail, with bail set at $2 million.
Reflecting on his arrest and the crime itself, Wendy told reporters outside the home she shared with Handy, that her son suffers from schizophrenia, and claims he had stopped taking his medication just one week before the attack.
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She explained to TMZ, her 44-year-old son Michael was diagnosed with schizophrenia in July 2025 and had been taking his prescribed medication, but stopped about a week before the Jumanji actor was fatally stabbed on June 3.
"I'm just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time," Wendy, 76, told the California Post. “I loved James and my son. I still can't believe it… I can't believe my son did it."
According to the LAPD, Glehill told a 911 dispatcher "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."
When officers responded, they found 81-year-old Handy in the front yard ‘unconscious with a stab wound to his chest’.
"He was taken to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced dead."
In her statement, Wendy claimed that Handy and her son had a cordial relationship, but did concede that they didn’t always see eye-to-eye.
She also shared a message for Handy’s family, as she broke down in tears and stated: "They know I loved him so much. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm still in shock. I still can't comprehend it.”
In the lead-up to the attack, neighbours in the area reportedly noticed odd behaviour from Michael, with Joheina Quibol claiming to the California Post that he “looked really rugged… like he doesn’t really change his clothes.”
She also described an increasing case of paranoia, in which he came over to her family's home to ask her father about their security cameras.
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.