True Crime All The Time – Episode 428: Johnny Lewis

Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson
Date: March 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson dive deeply into the tragic story of Johnny Lewis, an actor best known for his role as “Half Sack” on Sons of Anarchy, who, in 2012, killed his landlady, Kathy Davis, and subsequently died from a fatal fall. The hosts trace Johnny’s rise in Hollywood, his rapid decline following a motorcycle accident, and the perplexing circumstances that led to violence and death. Through candid discussion, the episode examines mental health, brain injury, the criminal justice system, and the broader question of accountability versus tragedy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Johnny Lewis – From Hollywood Success to Downfall

• Childhood & Family Background

  • Johnny Lewis grew up in LA’s North Hollywood/Sherman Oaks.
  • His family were Scientologists of high ranking (“operating thetan”).
  • “According to the writings of founder L. Ron Hubbard, an operating thetan is someone in a spiritual state who offers knowing and willing cause over life, thought, matter, energy, space, and time.” (Mike F., 06:31)

• Acting Career

  • Early start: Auditioning from age 6; first role at 7 in a safety video.
  • Guest spots on TV (7th Heaven, Malcolm in the Middle, Drake & Josh, The OC).
  • Notable relationships: Short romance with Katy Perry, which allegedly inspired some of her songs.
  • Most known for: Role as Kip “Half Sack” Epps in Sons of Anarchy.
    • Left the series after season two due to unease with increasing violence in the show:
      • “He told us he left because the show was getting into gratuitous violence. He didn’t want to communicate that as an artist.” (Ferguson quoting Lewis’ father, 14:03)

2. Post-Fame Life: Writing, Personal Struggles, and Family

• After leaving Sons of Anarchy, Lewis focused on writing projects and took residence at the Writer’s Villa (a famed Los Feliz mansion and creative retreat owned by Kathy Davis).
• A daughter, Culla Mae, was born in 2010 from a relationship with actress Diane Marshall-Green—leading to a difficult co-parenting and custody situation.
• Battle with mental health began to surface in the years following some personal and professional disappointments.

3. The Motorcycle Accident – Turning Point

• In late October 2011, Johnny suffered a serious motorcycle crash.
• Friends and family noticed a marked change: erratic behavior, mood swings, use of a fake British accent, sensitivity to light, and social withdrawal.
  • “He looked like a wounded, broken animal…wouldn’t let anyone near him…highly sensitive to light.” (Ferguson referencing sister Anna, 26:46)
• Refused MRIs, resisted psychiatric care, and soon engaged in violent, bizarre incidents.

4. Descent into Violence and Legal Trouble

• Escalating Incidents (2012):
  • Assaul­­­­ting men during a paranoia-fueled break-in (January).
  • Suicide attempt; walking into the ocean fully clothed (February).
  • Multiple arrests: Assault, burglary, resisting arrest, and breaking into strangers’ houses—overlapping court cases and failures to appear (28:19–30:45).
  • Time spent in jail and a mental health facility (Ridgeview Ranch); prescribed antipsychotics and medication for possible schizophrenia/bipolar disorder.
    • “Doctors prescribed Lewis drugs to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but he was resistant to taking medication...he may have pretended to swallow the pill only to spit them out later.” (32:18)

5. Mental Health and Brain Injury Debate

• Confusion over accurate diagnosis: Psychosis, bipolar disorder, or traumatic brain injury?
  • “We got the motorcycle head injury. Then he’s beaten in the head 17 times...pounding his own head against the concrete...doctor’s own diagnosis of brain trauma. And that’s just the stuff we know about.” (Quoting Michael Lewis, 33:54)
• UCLA neurologist, Dr. Christopher Giza, interviewed for LA Magazine, explains frontal lobe injury’s link to violence, but states Lewis' symptoms seem milder than typically resulting in such aggression.

6. Failure of the System & Release from Jail

• Judges and probation officers recognized Lewis as a danger to the community:
  • “Given this, Lewis will continue to be a threat to any community he may reside.” (USA Today quote, 42:15)
• Despite this, overcrowded jails led to early release after just six weeks (rather than 2 years).

The Final Tragedy

The Day of the Crime (September 26, 2012)

Timeline:

• Morning: Johnny, described as “bedraggled,” introduced himself to a neighbor, Dan Blackburn, before suddenly attacking a painter and the Blackburns with “superhuman strength.”
  • “He had what felt like superhuman strength and didn’t seem to feel any pain.” (49:03)
• Blackburn and others escaped and barricaded themselves as Johnny retreated to Davis’s house.
• Police arrived within minutes and found Johnny’s body in the driveway—he had fallen (or jumped) from the roof, dying instantly.

Horrific Scene Inside:

• First floor undisturbed, but upstairs:
  • Davis’s cat killed by hand.
  • Her bedroom: A scene of extreme violence and overkill—beaten, strangled, face and skull destroyed, punctures to the cheek from a mechanical pencil.
    • “Blunt force trauma fractured her entire skull and obliterated the left side of her face, leaving her brain exposed.” (52:20)
• Forensic suggestion: Attack started after confrontation about electricity (tied to his light sensitivity).
• “Investigators believe he may have stomped on her skull.” (54:08)

Immediate Aftermath

• Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy creator) Statement:
  • “It was a tragic end for an extremely talented guy who unfortunately had lost his way...I wish I could say I was shocked by the events last night, but I was not. I am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path.” (56:33)
• Speculation on Drugs:
  • Wide speculation about involvement of “bath salts” or other designer drugs (58:22–59:03).
  • Autopsy reveals: No drugs/alcohol or even prescribed antipsychotics in his system (60:37).

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Leaving Sons of Anarchy:
  • “He really wanted out of his contract...Johnny wasn’t happy creatively.” (13:29)
• On His Sudden Change:
  • “It was another person completely. He had a look I’ve only seen in disturbed veterans of war.” (Jonathan Tucker, 41:52)
• On the System’s Failure:
  • “Six weeks later...Johnny was released from jail. Apparently the jail was overcrowded...two years down to six weeks.” (42:37)
• Regarding Treatment and Accountability:
  • “If you’re not going to take the treatment and if you’re not going to take your medication, things aren’t going to go well.” (64:18)
• On Victim Kathy Davis:
  • “This is a woman who by all accounts was loved by, you know, everyone who met her...she was a very generous person who looked after people.” (52:59)

Timeline Timestamps for Key Segments

• Background & Early Career: 05:32–09:50
• Leaving Sons of Anarchy: 12:56–15:06
• Writer’s Villa & Kathy Davis: 15:24–18:47
• Motorcycle Accident & Behavior Change: 21:24–27:18
• Legal Trouble Escalates: 28:19–34:31
• Mental Health Discussion: 34:32–36:38
• Probation Assessment: 41:36–42:15
• Release and Events Leading to the Murder: 42:37–54:25
• Scene of the Crime: 49:03–54:25
• Post-Crime Analysis, Drugs, and Autopsy: 56:33–61:06
• Wrap-Up and Moral Questions: 62:10–66:26

Conclusion & Reflections

Ferguson and Gibson emphasize the ongoing mystery over what ultimately drove Johnny Lewis’s rapid, violent decline—mental illness, untreated brain injury, or system failures. The story is a tragic intersection of untreated health issues, fame, the criminal justice gap, and innocent loss. Listeners are left considering what could have prevented the death of Kathy Davis and the spiral of Johnny Lewis.

“It’s just a tragedy all the way around…It’s such a big shift from how he was before the motorcycle accident to after.” (Mike & Gibby, 65:58)

Episode Tone:

• Respectful, analytical, conversational, occasionally humorous but always serious with respect to the crime. The hosts ask tough questions about responsibility, systemic failures, and the limits of understanding a case like Johnny Lewis’s.

For more, listen to the full episode on True Crime All The Time or explore their references to the LA Magazine deep-dive on Johnny Lewis.