Coroner's report reveals tragic new details of Top Gun actor James Handy's final moments
More details have emerged about James Handy's final moments before the actor was allegedly stabbed to death.
It was revealed last month that the Top Gun and Jumanji star had died and that Michael Gledhill, the son of Handy's girlfriend, had been arrested in connection to the actor's death.
On June 4, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed that it had opened a murder investigation.
"The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Bureau Section is currently investigating a stabbing that resulted in the death of an 81-year-old man," it said in a news release issued at the time.
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"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.'"
It continued: "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 local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced deceased."
44-year-old Gledhill was then taken in custody and booked into jail on one count of murder. He's currently being held on a $2 million bond and has yet to enter a plea.
While his mother, Wendy Gledhill, has said that her son suffers from schizophrenia, a judge has ruled that he's mentally incompetent to stand trial after undergoing a mental health evaluation.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner has since concluded an autopsy report which revealed that Handy's cause of death was a homicide caused by a stab wound to the torso and neck compression, NBC News reports.
The report also shared details on the moments leading up to the Logan actor's passing and how he allegedly had a verbal altercation with Gledhill.
Per Us Weekly, it stated: "The verbal altercation turned physical, and the subject dragged him to the side of the house.
"911 was called and paramedics responded to the scene, initiated life-saving efforts, and transported him to the hospital, where, despite these efforts, death was pronounced on the same date."
It added that 'it is possible the neck compression occurred prior to the infliction of the stab wound and may have incapacitated the decedent prior to the stabbing'.
Handy had small traces of alcohol in his system at the time of his death, but no traces of drugs, the autopsy report notes.
It also found that Handy had hepatic steatosis and mediastinal hematoma, but no fatal illnesses.
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Topics: True crime, Los Angeles, Celebrity, News
Niamh Shackleton