Neighbours of James Handy have spoken out on the ‘terrible shock’ of his being stabbed to death earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the Top Gun: Maverick actor, 81, suffered a fatal stab wound to his chest while at his Los Angeles home, where he lived with his girlfriend, Wendy Gledhill.
Wendy’s son, Michael Gledhill, 44, called 911, with the LAPD claiming the individual on the line said, ‘I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin.’
Upon the emergency services’ arrival, Gledhill, who lived at the same residence with his mother and Jumanji star Handy, allegedly told cops he was the culprit they wanted. He was later arrested in connection with Handy’s death.
In the days since the tragedy, fans, friends, and colleagues of Handy’s have shared loving tributes to his memory, the latest coming from neighbours offering insight into Handy’s relationship with Wendy.
What’s more, one neighbour has shared a harrowing memory from the aftermath of the stabbing, revealing what he saw on the sidewalk.
Speaking to People, next-door neighbour Jerry Merrill shared that he saw a pair of ‘bloody pants’ outside but was unsure who they belonged to and whether they were Handy’s or Gledhill’s.
The 56-year-old resident went on to explain that his family moved to the street around two and a half years ago, but he did not interact with Gledhill until six months ago.
He described their meeting as more of a ‘confrontation’, adding: ‘On occasion, I would go to help bring garbage bins out and back, and he would see me and duck into the house and be avoided.’
Merrill would often see Gledhill walking alone, and he has since watched the footage of the alleged killer strolling around the neighbourhood after Handy died.
‘On this particular occasion, something horrible had happened, and he was just living in his own space and taking his walk around the neighbourhood.’
Fellow neighbour Aaron Titelman told the publication that Handy, a famous Hollywood character actor with a career spanning decades, had lived with his partner for at least three years but did not know that her son did too.
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The 57-year-old referred to the pair as ‘the nice neighbours around the corner that had the cat that likes to pay a visit,’ calling Handy ‘very humble and kind’ and a ‘really solid person’.
Titelman feels ‘lucky’ to have had interactions with Handy, recalling how ‘down-to-earth’ he was and how he would enjoy talking about ‘baseball and cats’.
Now, sadly, he ‘really regrets’ not making the most of his chance to see him one last time: ‘Life’s too short.’
On Handy’s shocking death, he added: ‘You hear about these things in the news, and it never happens to someone that you know, but this one definitely landed at our back doorstep.’
With an investigation ongoing into Handy’s death, Gledhill faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted.
On Friday, he was charged with one count of murder, plus a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon (a knife), as per the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Superior Court Judge John H. Reid has since ordered that Geldhill undergo psych evaluations at a mental health court.
He is being held on $2.02million (£1.5m) bail at Van Nuys Jail and is due to next appear in court on June 22.
As for Gledhill’s mother, Wendy, following the devastation of losing her partner, she fought through tears to speak with reporters outside her property.
The 76-year-old informed TMZ that her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia last July, but he had stopped taking his medication. Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition that can cause hallucinations, delusions, and disorganised thinking and behaviour.
Wendy said she discovered her son had stopped taking his prescribed meds about a week before Handy was killed.
On his relationship with Handy, she said the two did not always get along, but they were ‘cordial’.
She added of Handy’s family: ‘They know I loved him so much.
‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m still in shock. I still can’t comprehend it.’
Wendy then said emotionally and in disbelief: ‘I’m just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time.’
Detectives previously said that they believe the killing is an ‘isolated incident’ and there ‘appears to be no danger to the public at this time’. A possible motive has not yet been disclosed.
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