Man charged with killing actor declared mentally incompetent

(AP): A judge has ruled that a man charged with murder in the stabbing of actor James Handy is not mentally competent for criminal court proceedings.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi ruled that 44-year-old Michael Gledhill cannot understand the case against him and cannot rationally assist his lawyer in his own defence.

Handy, the 81-year-old actor whose credits include Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, was in a relationship with Gledhill’s mother, and was found stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside her home on June 3, police and prosecutors said. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Officers had responded to the home after a 911 caller said, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” police said.

Gledhill has not entered a plea and has not appeared in court in the case. At his scheduled arraignment on June 5, a judge paused his prosecution and sent the case to a court that specialises in mental health evaluation. That court ruled promptly after psychiatric evaluations that he was not competent. Cavalluzzi also found at a hearing that Gledhill cannot make proper medication decisions. She signed an order saying he could be involuntarily medicated for one year, citing a psychiatrist’s determination that his mental health could be hugely helped by proper drugs.

She ordered him to appear in court on July 14 for a hearing on his long-term placement. His case will head to trial if he is later found to be competent.