A Los Angeles County judge on Friday ordered Michael Ray Gledhill, the son of actor James Handy's girlfriend and the suspect in his fatal stabbing, to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Specifically, according to AP News, Superior Court Judge John H. Reed ordered 44-year-old Gledhill transferred to mental health court, where he will undergo a psychological evaluation. Another judge will then reportedly decide whether Gledhill is competent to stand trial. Gledhill's attorney did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
The court's decision came after District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed a criminal complaint against Gledhill, who allegedly confessed to killing the 81-year-old actor, known for his roles, earlier this week.
«"This is no way a person's life should end: stabbed in the chest and left to die on a front lawn," Hochman said after filing the plea on Friday. "The victim, James Handy, deserved to live his final years enjoying what he worked so hard to achieve, and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about. Like all homicide victims, his life mattered, and the person who inexplicably and cruelly took it must be held accountable for their actions.".
According to the District Attorney's Office, Gledhill has been charged with "one count of murder with the aggravating circumstance of his own use of a deadly weapon, a knife." Hochman's office also noted that if convicted, the suspect faces 26 years to life in prison.
Gledhill was arrested after "stopping nearby officers and telling them he was the man they were looking for," the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday.
«"On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m., West Valley Patrol officers responded to a radio call of an unknown problem in the 19200 block of Erwin Street," the LAPD said in a full statement. "The 911 caller stated, 'I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.' Upon arrival, officers found 81-year-old James Handy unconscious in the front yard of a home with a stab wound to the chest. He was transported to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.".
The Los Angeles police then reported that the suspect "lives at that address with his mother, who is the victim's girlfriend." Prosecutors recommended bail be set at $2.02 million.
Wendy Gledhill, the suspect's mother and Handy's girlfriend, broke her silence about the incident on Friday, telling the California Post: "I'm just trying to take it day by day, minute by minute... I loved James and my son. I still can't believe it... I can't believe my son did this.".
Handy has a long acting career, beginning with a two-episode role as Red on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. He has also appeared in numerous other acclaimed films and television series, including The Verdict, Unbreakable, Logan, Quantum Leap, The X-Files, and Criminal Minds.
In Top Gun: Maverick, Handy played Jimmy, a bartender at a bar owned by Tom Cruise's character's ex-girlfriend (and now-girlfriend), Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly). In the 1995 film Jumanji, he played an exterminator.
Handy also played Matt Fielding Sr. in six episodes of Melrose Place from 1992 to 1995, and Captain Jim Haverill in seven episodes of NYPD Blue from 1993 to 1995. In the early 2000s, he appeared as Deputy Joe Bruno in two episodes of The West Wing, and later played Arthur Devlin in eight episodes of Alias from 2002 to 2006.
The article, titled "James Handy Murder Suspect to Face Competency Evaluation Before Trial," first appeared on TheWrap.