LA medical examiner details cause of death for slain actor James Handy

Jami Ganz, New York Daily News on Jun 12, 2026

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“Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jumanji” actor James Handy’s grisly cause of death has been confirmed after he was fatally stabbed by his girlfriend’s son last week.

The New York native, 81, was attacked June 3 at the Los Angeles home of his girlfriend Wendy Gledhill and her 44-year-old son Michael. Handy was ultimately pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, and Michael was charged with the murder.

Handy — who had nearly 150 screen credits to his name — died of a stab wound to the torso and neck compression, according to digital records from the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner. The manner has been ruled a homicide.

Per TMZ, neck compression refers to the abnormal pressure put on a spinal cord or neck’s nerve roots.

Los Angeles police previously told the outlet they received a 911 call from Michael, who told dispatchers he was “the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.” He then reportedly told responding officers he was the man they wanted.

Michael has since been arrested and charged with one count of murder with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife. He faces 26 years to life behind bars.

“This is not how anyone’s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,” L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a June 5 press release. “The victim deserved to live out his later years enjoying what he had worked so hard for and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about. Like all murder victims, his life mattered and the person who inexplicably and violently took it must be held accountable for his actions.”

Wendy told TMZ that she learned in the days leading up to the slaying that Michael had stopped taking medication for schizophrenia, with which he was diagnosed last July.

“They know I loved him so much,” Wendy said of Handy’s family. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m still in shock. I still can’t comprehend it.”

At the time of his death, Handy was in pre-production on the film, “Kickback, V.” His myriad credits, in addition to the box office smash “Top Gun” sequel and the original “Jumanji,” included appearances on “9-1-1,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Breaking News,” “The Practice,” “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” and many more.

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