'Top Gun: Maverick' Star James Handy's Cause of Death Revealed as Tragic New Details Emerge Surrounding Actor's Fatal Attack
'Top Gun: Maverick' star James Handy's cause of death has been revealed following a fatal attack on the veteran actor earlier this month.
June 12 2026, Published 5:32 p.m. ET
Top Gun: Maverick star James Handy's cause of death has been confirmed following his gruesome murder.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the veteran actor died earlier this month after he was attacked outside a Los Angeles house with a knife, allegedly by his girlfriend's son, Michael Gledhill.
Stabbed In Torso And Neck
The gruesome injuries the actor sustained in his attack were revealed in a medical report.
According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, the 81-year-old was stabbed and also suffered "neck compression," which contributed to his death.
He was also stabbed in the torso and neck, where the spinal cord is connected to nerve roots.
Handy was found by cops badly wounded in his front yard, but still alive, after 911 was called.
The actor, who also appeared in NYPD Blue, 9-1-1 and NCIS: Los Angeles, was rushed to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Gledhill allegedly walked away from the crime scene and was caught on Ring camera footage as he calmly walked by a neighbor's house.
Soon after, he was arrested by the police.
Suspect Is Son Of Actor's Girlfriend
Michael Gledhill was charged after officers found Handy stabbed in the chest.
The Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Gledhill with one count of murder with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife.
Handy had been dating the suspect’s mom Wendy Gledhill for 31 years.
Gledhill, 44, was charged after officers found Handy stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside his home.
He did not appear at an arraignment on June 5 in Los Angeles Superior Court, and no plea was entered for him.
Javier Trincado, Gledhill´s lawyer, said his client is "unable to assist" in his defense and told the judge that the sheriff's department did not bring Gledhill to the courtroom, but did not provide a reason.
'I Can't Believe My Son Did It'
Handy's girlfriend Wendy Gledhill was left traumatized by his killing, allegedly at the hands of her son.
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Superior Court Judge John H. Reid ordered that Gledhill be sent to mental health court and undergo psychological evaluations. Another judge will decide whether he is competent for trial.
RadarOnline.com reported how Handy's girlfriend, Wendy, was left rattled and shocked after her son allegedly stabbed the star to death.
"I'm just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time," Wendy told the California Post outside her home. "I loved James and my son. I still can’t believe it…. I can't believe my son did it. I'm just trying to …," the 76-year-old added before rushing back indoors.
While Wendy didn't have much to say on the horrific circumstances, her neighbors opened up about Gledhill's alleged strange behavior.
Neighbor Joheina Quibol noted Gledhill "looked really rugged … he looks like he doesn’t really change his clothes."
Quibol also described Michael as being "paranoid," and suggested he may be dealing with mental health issues.
Meanwhile, footage from a neighbor's doorbell camera just moments after Handy was stabbed appeared to show Michael walking down the sidewalk away from a Los Angeles area home.
The video, first obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles, then appeared to show the suspect returning to the home, which he shares with his mother, Wendy.
According to a police report, Gledhill "flagged down nearby responding officers, telling them he was the one they were looking for." Authorities are said to have reported to the area after an unknown 911 caller declared, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."
