'Sons Of Anarchy' Actor Dies In Bizarre Los Feliz Murder
LOS FELIZ (CBSLA.com) — Coroner's officials Thursday identified a 28-year-old actor accused of killing an 81-year-old woman in her Los Feliz home.
Police say Jonathan "Johnny" Lewis, best known for his two-season stint on FX's Sons of Anarchy, allegedly killed Catherine Davis before he died.
Officers responded to a call of a screaming woman at a home in the 3600 block of Lowry Road around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday.
By the time police arrived, Davis was found dead in her bedroom.
Davis, a landlord who reportedly rented a room to Lewis, suffered major trauma and may have been bludgeoned to death, officials said.
Lewis' body was found by police in the driveway of the home. Officials believe he jumped or fell from a second floor patio to his death.
Witnesses told police they saw Lewis run from the woman's home to the next door neighbor's backyard, and without warning, attacked the homeowners and a painter.
Police are looking into whether the actor was under the influence of drugs.
Prior to the deadly incident, Lewis was facing felony assault with a deadly weapon and second degree burglary charges from two separate cases.
He had pleaded no contest to both charges and was sentenced to jail.
Lewis was released Sept. 21.
It remains unclear how or why he was out of custody at the time of his death.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca defended the early release of criminals.
"We did a study where people have served their full sentence... and more people who had served full sentence had committed murder... than those who didn't serve full sentence," he said.
Sons of Anarchy creator, Kurt Sutter, issued a statement Thursday about Lewis' death.
"It was a tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way," he said. "I wish I could say that I was shocked by the events ... but I was not. I am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path."
Lewis' acting credits also include The O.C., Criminal Minds and the 2010 film "The Runaways."
He dated singer Katy Perry from 2005 to 2006.
