Gilroy
– Though Charles Handley is behind bars without bail, a
prosecutor asked for protective orders against the elderly man, who
shot his former daughter-in-law Wednesday morning outside her
boyfriend’s Gilroy home.
Gilroy – Though Charles Handley is behind bars without bail, a prosecutor asked for protective orders against the elderly man, who shot his former daughter-in-law Wednesday morning outside her boyfriend’s Gilroy home.
Handley, 78, waived formal arraignment Friday, pushing back his plea to Tuesday. The San Jose man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after he fired at Lynda Handley, his former daughter-in-law, and her boyfriend, widower Lynn Ryle.
Charles Handley tried to shoot the couple outside their garage on Festa Aglio Court, missing twice, police said. Police initially indicated that Ryle then charged the gunman, forcing him to the ground: Witnesses later indicated that it was Lynda Handley who knocked him to the ground. The woman was shot in the thigh as the two struggled over the weapon, before Lynda Handley knocked her former father-in-law to the ground and the two pinned him down until police arrived. It is unclear why Charles Handley attacked the couple.
Charles Handley’s attorney, Victor Vertner, is seeking a bail study, which would determine whether his client can be released from jail. In turn, deputy district attorney Amir Alem requested protective orders for Ryle, Lynda Handley and Marlyn Rasmussen, Lynda Hanley’s mother and a prominent resident of Los Gatos. Rasmussen was mentioned in correspondence between the Handleys, Alem later explained. Even if Charles Handley stays in jail, the protective order is necessary because it prevents him from telephoning the victims, Alem told Superior Court Judge Thomas Hansen, who granted the order barring Handley from coming within 300 yards of Ryle, Rasmussen and Lynda Handley, none of whom were present in court Friday.
Wednesday’s incident was the second violent episode at 971 Festa Aglio Court, where Ryle’s late wife Kathryn was found dead, shot in the chest, in September 2006. Police have yet to determine whether the woman’s death was a suicide, and are waiting on lab results before deciding whether to send the case to the District Attorney’s office.
