James Handy Top Gun actor James Handy was fatally stabbed at a home in Tarzana on Wednesday morning, and police arrested Michael Gledhill in the case. Handy, 81, was found unconscious with a stab wound to his chest and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Tarzana home on Erwin Street
West Valley area patrol officers responded around 9:30 a.m. after a 911 caller said, "I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin." Police found Handy in the front yard of the Erwin Street home, then transported him to a local hospital, where he died.
Handy’s film credits included "Logan," "Jumanji," "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Arachnophobia." That makes the killing more than a local crime file; it removes a working screen actor whose face had circulated through some of Hollywood’s most recognizable studio titles.
Michael Gledhill arrested
Michael Gledhill, 44, flagged down officers and told them he was the one they were looking for. Police later booked him on suspicion of murder and set bail at $2 million.
Officers also said Gledhill lived at the Erwin Street home with his mother, who was in a relationship with Handy. That detail gives the case its sharpest fracture point: the suspect was not a stranger from outside the household, but someone living inside it.
Police view of the case
Detectives said the incident appeared to be isolated and there appeared to be no danger to the public at that time. For anyone watching the case, the immediate focus is on the murder booking and the $2 million bail, not on a wider threat in the neighborhood.
Representatives for Handy confirmed the news to The Times, and authorities identified the victim on Thursday. The next pressure point is the criminal case itself, because the public record now has a named suspect, a dead victim, and a custody decision that puts the matter squarely in the court system.
