Beloved actor stabbed to death ABC World News Tonight with David Muir - June 5, 2026

David Muir, ABC's World News Tonight, America's. most watched newscast. Now streaming same day with all the breaking news of. the day on Disney Plus. Most watched, most trusted. Now on Disney Plus every night. Tonight, breaking news, the horrific attack of veteran. actor from Top Gun Maverick in Jumanji stabbed to death. His body found outside a home. Police say his girlfriend's son called 911, flagging. down first responders. What he allegedly told them when they arrived.

Trevor Ault in Los Angeles with late details coming in. Tonight, hours after President Trump celebrates a better. than expected jobs report, the stock market suffers. its worst day of the year. What's behind the sudden drop? And tonight, the president signaling a shakeup in. national intelligence. Mary Bruce at the White House. The alarming situation on board the International Space Station, why NASA ordered the astronauts to take shelter. They closely watched Senate race that could decide. control of the Senate.

Growing questions tonight about Maine Democratic. candidate Graham Platner after several women. have come forward with disturbing allegations. The husband and father sentenced for killing his wife and. another man he lured to their home in a plot to run off. with the family's au pair, the judge calling him evil. Newly released body camera video showing a. driverless taxi interfering with first responders. racing to a massive and deadly explosion. The case making national headlines. Erin Kuturski sits down with Karen Reed, her explosive new.

lawsuit against police after Officer being found not guilty. of killing her boyfriend. Bombshell text messages between officers and what they reveal. Tracking severe storms across multiple states, 65. million people under alert. Extreme heat in the northeast, temperatures well into the 90s. Dramatic video showing a retired marine and his family fighting. off a group of allegedly armed robbers. For 105 years, the Chicago Bear is about to blow.

out of the Windy City. A real bear making a stunning escape, why officials called. it extremely intelligent. From ABC News World Headquarters in New York, this is World. News Tonight with David Muir. Good evening, I'm Wade Johnson. And for David, we begin tonight with breaking news, the horrific. killing of a beloved veteran. Authorities are describing a bloody scene. 81-year-old James Handy found stabbed to death outside a home.

Police say his girlfriend's son called 911, flagging down. first responders, telling them he was the person. they were looking for. James Handy appearing in dozens of movies and TV shows, his. last role in Top Gun Maverick. What authorities are saying about the suspect and the. decision made late today. ABC's Trevor Ault leads us off from Los Angeles. Tonight disturbing details emerging in the fatal stabbing. of a veteran actor and the bizarre alleged confession.

from the suspect. Los Angeles police say 81-year-old James Handy. was stabbed to death Wednesday morning by. his girlfriend's 44-year-old son. Officers say they found Handy unresponsive in his front. yard with a stab wound to the chest, bloody clothes strewn. across the sidewalk, and Handy was later pronounced dead at the. Authorities have now charged Michael Gledhill with murder, saying after the stabbing he called 911 and told them, "I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin.". And he then flagged down first responders near the.

scene, telling them he was the one they were looking for. You need to check yourself in somewhere. James Handy's career spanned decades. Hey, man. He most recently appeared with Tom Cruise in Top Gun Maverick, one of more than 100 TV and movie credits to his name. And with this suspect's bail had been set at $2 million, we've. just learned he's now being held for a psychiatric evaluation. He's due in court later this month. All right, Trevor Ault for us tonight. We move on now to the U.S. economy and the stock market suffering one of.

its worst days of the year. The Dow dropping 695 points today. The Nasdaq taking the biggest hit, losing 1,121 points. The S&P 500 down 200. There's also good news for the economy. A new report shows the U.S. added 172,000 jobs last month, more than double the number. predicted. And tonight, President. Trump on another key issue signaling a shakeup in. national intelligence. Mary Bruce at the White House.

Tonight in Wisconsin, President Trump reveling in those. strong new jobs numbers. They smashed all expectations. But on Air Force One, reporters pressing him. about something else. His new pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no experience. in intelligence or national security. Bill Pulte is very good. He's very talented. Trump says he wants Pulte to slash staff at the agency. I wouldn't mind. I've heard that's way too high for way too long.

He tells the Wall Street Journal that his acting director, Pulte, is less shackled, saying that sort of gives you. more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of. time. Adding, he can do a lot of the. hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes. in. And Whit, Trump has made it. clear that Bill Pulte is not his permanent pick for the job. He says he has five people in mind. The question now, when does the president make. that announcement public? How long will it take his nominee to be confirmed. and what does Bill Pulte do at the agency.

in the meantime? All right, Mary Brucer, thanks to you. Next tonight, the alarming situation on board the. International Space Station, NASA ordering. the astronauts to take shelter in the Crew Dragon spacecraft. because of an air leak. Operations on board the ISS have now resumed. The leak was in a rarely used part of the space station. Turning now to the closely watched Senate race that could. decide control of the Senate. Growing questions about Maine Democratic candidate. Graham Platner after reports of several women.

coming forward with disturbing allegations. Platner now responding. ABC's Selena Wang reporting from Maine tonight. Tonight, the Democratic candidate in one of. the year's most closely watched Senate races, battling a firestorm of controversy. Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and former Marine, is running to unseat Maine Republican Susan Collins. But Platner's past now coming back to haunt him. first a series of sexist Reddit posts now deleted, then.

reports he exchanged sexual text messages with at least. six women shortly after he was married in 2023. Platner's wife Amy standing by him. "I want my marriage and I want to be married to Graham.". Overnight the New York Times reporting several of Platner's. ex-girlfriends described quote unsettling behavior. One claiming Platner regularly grabbed her by the. shoulders, sometimes hard enough to leave marks, and. on one occasion, yanked her out of a cab by her wrist. She says during one argument, Platner twisted her arm.

behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom, and held the. door closed from the other side so she couldn't get out. The allegations in the latest story are troubling. and I believe that Graham Platner has a lot. of questions to answer. Platner fiercely denies any violence but admits. to mistakes in his past. Speaking with ABC affiliate WMTW. I'm very happy to talk about incredibly uncomfortable.

things in my life. But when things come along that are just made up or. lies, I'm very much going to push back against those. He was already facing questions about why he got. a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol on his chest while. he was in the Marines some 18 years ago. Platner insists he only recently became aware. of the Nazi connection. I got it covered up within days because I didn't. want that on my body. It all puts National Democrats in quite a bind. Winning Maine is crucial in their effort to.

retake the Senate. Senator Bernie Sanders standing by Platner. Look, I'm sure he's not a saint. And by the way, let's not forget, he has acknowledged, this guy served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has acknowledged that he came back with PTSD. But Senator Alyssa Slotkin exasperated. I look forward to the day where I am not answering. every single week a question about bad behavior. by another dude. I just I'm look forward to that day. And Whit Graham Platner is not the Democratic nominee yet.

The primary is on Tuesday and Maine's Governor Janet. Mills is still on the ballot. Now she suspended her campaign back in April. But with all the scandals swirling around Platner, she's. making sure Democrats know that they can still vote. for her if they want to win. All right, Selena Wang, thank you. We move on now to the husband and father sentenced. to life without parole for killing his wife. and another man he lured to their home in Virginia. Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield killed both victims as part.

of an elaborate plot while having an affair with the. family's au pair, the judge calling him evil. Here's ABC's Matt Rivers. Tonight, judgment day in a twisted double murder plot. I sentence you to life in the penitentiary for the. rest of your natural life. Brendan Banfield convicted of killing his wife Christine. and a stranger he lured to their home in order to frame. him for the murder and stage it as a home invasion. Banfield posed as his wife online and catfished Joseph. Ryan through a fetish website. When he arrived at the house, Banfield shot him.

and stabbed his own wife. I was able to see him stabbing her. The husband and father conspiring with the family's au. pair so they could carry on an affair. Today, Christine's sister said she never truly knew Brendan. I don't believe anyone did. Not family, not friends, and certainly not Christine. His testimony was the most self-serving. display of narcissism I have ever witnessed. The mother of Joseph Ryan heartbroken.

I have felt the deepest loss I could ever experience. But Banfield showing no remorse. I'm greatly disappointed in the legal system. The judge handing down life without parole. The level of cruelty, calculation and inhumanity. in this case reflects something far deeper. than anger or impulse. It reflects evil. Wit, as a part of the plea deal, the au pair is serving. 10 years for manslaughter. Matt Rivers, we appreciate it. Next tonight, newly released body camera.

video showing a Waymo self-driving taxi interfering. with first responders as they race to a massive. and deadly natural gas explosion in Dallas. A police officer struggling to move the car and what. Waymo is saying tonight. Here's ABC's Morgan Norwood. Tonight, as this massive fire tore through a Dallas. apartment complex, this new body camera video showing a Waymo, a driverless car, slowing first responders as they scramble. to secure the scene.

This deadly fire killing three people and. injuring several others. Watch as this Dallas County constable pleads with. support to move the vehicle. This call may be recorded for quality assurance. Yes, you need to move this car ASAP, please. Waymo reportedly unlocking the car, allowing the deputy. to drive it out of the way. Come on, man. Can you go? The system seems to be having a minor issue. This mishap just the latest in a series of. wayward Waymo incidents.

And Whit, tonight Waymo saying that vehicle was in the process. of completing a three-point turn in order to leave the area. They add that they're working closely with Dallas law. enforcement moving forward. Whit? Okay, Morgan Norwood, thanks so much. Now to the case making national headlines. One year after being found not guilty of murdering her Boston. police officer boyfriend, Karen Reed is now filing a lawsuit. accusing police of misconduct. The lawsuit alleging disturbing voice and text messages. were sent between officers. Tonight, our chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Katersky,

sitting down with Karen Reed. Tonight, nearly a year after she was acquitted. of killing her boyfriend, Karen Reed is speaking. out about her scathing new lawsuit against. two Massachusetts police departments that. She says framed her for murder. I've always known that if I could free myself, that I would right the wrongs that have been done to me. So this is now a new -- this is your crusade. I think that's a good word for it.

Reid's lawsuit includes vile and racist messages, she says, are from the lead investigator, former state trooper Michael Proctor, disparaging women, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, and black Americans. Take your time. I saw a f***ing f***er was involved, so that wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die. Like literally shove a f***ing nightstick up his. a**, plant a bag of coke on him, and you're going in. That person in their core cannot logically, objectively.

investigate someone. He is rotten and evil in his core. A federal investigation into the handling of Reed's case. ended with no charges, but her attorneys say they. uncovered many more messages the feds never saw. There are thousands, I mean tens of thousands of messages. Vile and vulgar like these? Yes. His view of the world, as reflected in these text messages, indicates. that Karen Reed was. And I've learned something about the underbelly of these.

institutions that I feel I have to do something with. I have to make something good come of this. With the Massachusetts State Police denounced the messages. and fired the trooper. The trooper's lawyer accused Karen Reed of trying to distract. from her own conduct the night her boyfriend died, and. Reed is facing a lawsuit from her boyfriend's family for. wrongful death. All right, Aaron, thank you for that.

Tonight we're tracking severe storms across multiple states, 65 million people under alert, extreme heat in the Northeast, temperatures well into the 90s again tomorrow. Let's get right to ABC's senior meteorologist Lee Goldberg. We're going to be talking about the severe weather on the move. We really haven't seen a lot of heat here in the. northeast, but now that we have it, we have a severe. risk coming up on Saturday. Those storms tonight, they're in the Midwest. We have severe thunderstorms. We've already seen some damaging. ones across parts of Minnesota. There's a severe thunderstorm watch from Minneapolis. into Wisconsin.

More storms late tonight from. Nebraska into Illinois. Damaging winds hail, even an isolated tornado. That severe weather that's going to reach the Great Lakes. into the northeast on Saturday. Let's time it for you in the morning. That's when we see storms in the Ohio Valley into. Pennsylvania and New York. I think the strong storms are going to approach. the I-95 corridors we go through late day, especially into the evening hours. Have your mobile alerts on. Damaging winds, hail, frequent lightning, all possible. Before that, it's another 90 degree day as the heat peaks. along with some humidity. The front will break the heat. It'll last only into early next week and then. the heat is on again.

Summer is definitely hitting its stride. Whit? Alright, Lee Goldberg, thanks so much. When we come back, dramatic video showing a Marine and his. family fighting off a group of allegedly armed robbers, details on the desperate search for a college student overseas. one week after he was last seen, and the bear being called. extremely intelligent, how it made its escape after being. trapped inside a factory. Next night, a Marine turns the tables on a group of attempted. carjackers outside Washington,

Police say doorbell camera video shows four teenagers. approach Jheyco Borda at gunpoint on Wednesday. Borda tries to disarm one teen who allegedly fired a gun. No one was hurt. Borda's dad and brother rushed in, tackled the. suspects and called 911. The desperate search for a missing American college. student in Kyoto, Japan. Police say 20-year-old James Weston Higginbotham. was last seen one week ago on a family trip. Search teams are combing a mountain range for.

any traces of the man. Investigators say it is highly probable Higginbotham. left intentionally. His family says he ventured off shortly after an. argument with his mother. When we come back, the bear being called. extremely intelligent, how it evaded capture. And the Chicago Bears inching closer to leaving the city they. call home for another state. To the Index now, the Chicago Bears are inching. closer to getting a new home outside Chicago. The team's board of directors voted to move forward with.

a plan to build a stadium in northwest Indiana. A vote comes after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve a. bill that would give the bears a break on property taxes. Area lawmakers say they will continue fighting to. keep the bears in Illinois. Now to another bear making headlines, and. this one officials call extremely intelligent. after it made a clever escape. We told you earlier this week about the bear that went on a. rampage and injured four people In Fukushima, Japan, that.

bear was trapped inside a factory, but then, officials say. it turned on a tap to drink water and later evaded capture. when it unlocked and opened a window before running away. Finally, tonight, paying tribute to one of our own, former ABC. News journalist, Jim Wooten. Over the course of more than two decades for ABC News, Jim. Wooten reported from more than 40 countries and five. continents. In Bosnia, he chronicled the. devastating war and its impact on ordinary people.

From the early morning on, all day long, one after another, those wounded in the front-line fighting at Brcko. were brought here. The genocide in Rwanda. This is the land Yves now calls home. It's volcanic rock. You can't farm it. You can't build on it, you can't live. on it, you can die on it, but they can't bury you in it. The AIDS crisis in South Africa. I wish AIDS never came, resisted.

If my mother would still be alive, everybody in the. whole country could be well, I wish there was no sickness. Even a little boy's reach ought to exceed his grasp. Here at home, he often covered politics. What Governor Clinton needed to do tonight was to present. the possibility that he can be seen as a president. He left an indelible mark on journalism and all. of us here at ABC News.

Wooten is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. He was 88 years old. And our thoughts are with Jim's family tonight. I'm Wade Johnson in New York. Have a great night. David Muir, the most trusted, most watched. newscast in America. And now, World News Tonight has won the Emmy for Best Live. News Program for the fourth year in a row.