A 44-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing veteran actor James Handy will have to undergo a mental competency evaluation before facing murder charges, a Los Angeles judge ruled.

Michael Ray Gledhill is charged with one count of murder in the killing of the 81-year-old actor, known for roles in “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jumanji,” who was also the boyfriend of Gledhill’s mother.

Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office have also filed a special allegation that Gledhill personally used a knife in the deadly attack.

The incident occurred on Wednesday outside a home in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in Tarzana. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to reports of a stabbing and found Handy in the front yard suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Gledhill is accused of making disturbing statements during a 911 call placed after the stabbing. According to the complaint, he said: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”

Before the murder charge can proceed, a judge has ordered a mental competency hearing for June 22 in a Hollywood court to determine whether Gledhill is able to understand the proceedings.

Despite the competency review, prosecutors have formally charged Gledhill with murdering Handy “with malice aforethought,” in violation of Penal Code section 187(a). If convicted, he faces 26 years to life in state prison. Authorities are seeking bail set at $2.02 million.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman condemned the killing, stating, “This is not how anyone’s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home.” He added that Handy “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.”

The investigation remains ongoing.