The "Sons of
Anarchy" actor suspected of killinghis landlord before falling
to his death on Wednesday had drug issues, mental health problems and was a
threat, his probation report said last spring.
The May 17 report says that Johnny Lewis, 28, "suffers from
some form of chemical dependency, mental health issue and a lack of permanent
housing. Given this, (Lewis) will continue to be a threat to any community he
may reside."
Police are seeking to understand what may have sparked the rampage
that led to the death of Katherine Davis, 81.
She died from "blunt head trauma and strangulation,"
according to preliminary findings from the autopsy conducted Thursday, the Los
Angeles County Coroner's office said.
Lewis was arrested twice in February on burglary and battery
charges in Santa Monica, according to records obtained by CNN.
But Lewis' lawyer, Jonathan Mandel, said Friday that he had not
considered his client a threat to anyone. "The behavior with me was
fine," he said. "What was known in May about Johnny was that he had
two fairly minor offenses -- which were, fortunately, not serious. And he did
have a diagnosis, eventually, of chemically induced psychosis."
Mandel, who first represented Lewis in April, said he never would
have predicted Lewis' involvement in a killing and had not suspected he was
taking drugs.
"From April until August or September, he was probably using
no drugs at all," he said. "He was incarcerated for a couple of
months and then he went to a treatment facility."
Though Lewis did appear, at times, to be delusional, "I never
got the sense, when I was representing him, that he was an addict. I did think
that he had severe mental problems."
Police suspect drugs may have been involved, but "we don't
have any hard evidence that says he was on anything right now," LAPD
Commander Andrew Smith said Thursday.
Toxicology findings from the autopsy are not expected to be
completed for at least a month.
No one saw what happened inside the house where Davis, the
homeowner, was found beaten to death, Smith said. Two men -- the owner of the
house next door and a painter -- say Lewis attacked them before he fell to his
death.
Other neighbors told police they heard a woman's screams and glass
breaking, Smith said.
The home is in the Los Feliz neighborhood near Griffith Park, on
the eastern edge of the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.
An officer responding to a neighbor's 911 call found Lewis dead in
the driveway, Smith said Thursday.
The house "appeared to have been ransacked," he said.
Davis' body was found on the second floor of the three-level house, with her
dead cat nearby, police said.
Davis, who had lived in the home for decades, "typically
rented to people in the movie industry -- writers and actors -- and they would
come up here because it's a wonderful, quiet neighborhood," Smith said.
Lewis had lived in the home, located on a winding, narrow
residential street on the eastern edge of Hollywood, for about two weeks, Smith
said.
He played Kip "Half Sack" Epps in 26 episodes during the
first two seasons of "Sons of Anarchy" on the FX Network, according
to the Internet Movie Database. His character was killed in the finale of
season two.
"Sons" creator
Kurt Sutter, in a Twitter posting Thursday,
called Lewis' death "a tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who
unfortunately had lost his way."
"I wish I could say that I was shocked by the events last
night, but I was not," Sutter's tweet said. "I am deeply sorry that
an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path. Yes, it's day of
mourning, but it's also a day of awareness and gratitude. Sadly, some of us
carry the message by dying."
Sutter told TV writer Alan Sepinwall in an interview published in
December 2009 that "Johnny wasn't happy on the show."
"Creatively, he really wanted out of his contract,"
Sutter told Sepinwell. "We had ongoing conversations, and we decided we'd
find some noble way for him to go."
Lewis played Dennis "Chili" Childress in nine episodes of
"The O.C." in 2005 and 2006, according to IMDb.com.
His last work was in an independent movie, "186 Dollars to Get
Out," scheduled for release this month, the IMDb.com listings said.
Lewis, whose full name is Jonathan Kendrick Lewis, was born and
raised in Los Angeles. He held dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, according to
his IMDb biography.
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