September 27, 2012
Expert Opinion: Was Johnny Lewis high on PCP when he murdered elderly landlady and dismembered her cat?
His history of drug abuse was well documented, landing him behind bars countless times and saw him in and out of rehab.
And all signs are now pointing to the fact that Johnny Lewis was high when he savagely murdered his 81-year-old landlady, Catherine Chabot Davis, on Wednesday.
According to new details which have emerged overnight, Lewis stormed into the apartment of Davis at about 10:40 a.m. He then smashed her furniture, beat and strangled her. He also dismembered her cat, reportedly tearing it apart with his hands.
After the brutal crime, Lewis hopped a nearby fence and confronted one of Davis’ neighbors, Daniel Blackburn, and a handyman- both were badly beaten and claim that Lewis showed “super-human strength” and was “phenomenally strong.”
One of the neighbour’s told the Los Angeles Times that Lewis was hardly deterred by the blows he took, that it was like “hitting him with a fly swatter.”
There are various suggestions that the actor was on the new designer drug called “smiles”, but according to Dr Damon Raskin, Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center the signs suggest Lewis was high on PCP.
“One of the hallmark features of PCP specifically is this notion of superhuman strength,” Dr Damon Raskin tells Celebzter. “There is a huge disconnect with the user and reality, however, and this often leads to tragic outcomes such as this one. Patients may report feeling they can fly or lift anything. The drug can confuse the brain so badly that the user will often hurt or kill themselves thinking they can do these “superman” feats.”
The coroner said officials had not yet done a drug test on Lewis’ body and full toxicology results could take weeks.
“There was obviously something wrong with him. What that was exactly is not known to us at this time,” Los Angeles Police Officer Richard French told the New York Daily News.
Wednesday’s deadly events mark a culmination of Lewis’ long struggle with drugs, alcohol and mental issues.
In the 10 months leading up to his death, Lewis’ life was anything but glamorous. He had repeatedly been arrested, sent to counseling and had left jail only five days before his demise on Wednesday. In fact, he has spent much of this year behind bars.
He was so unhinged that his probation officer expressed grave concerns over his mental health, writing that he was “very concerned for the well-being of not only the community but that of the defendant.”
Four months later, those worst fears came true when he killed Davis before plummeting to his own death at the age of 28.
Meanwhile, a source close to Katy Perry, who dated the “Sons of Anarchy” and “The O.C.” actor from 2005 to 2006, revealed the singer could see Lewis was on the path to destruction and thus, split from him.
“She had to separate from him… to get ahead and focus on her career,” the source said.
“He was in trouble then and she couldn’t help him. A lot of her songs were partially inspired by him,” the source told US magazine.
“I know ‘The One That Got Away’ and ‘Circle the Drain’ are partly about him. But she was young and it was a time in her life she cherishes.”
