EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
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There are millions of people around the world whose dream is to be widely known. People who want their names in the spotlight.

Maybe they want to sing, perform on Broadway, or maybe even star in movies. For a lot of these people, they will move to places like Hollywood or New York City, and they'll work for years to get their big break in showbiz. However, the reality is, only a fraction of the people with this dream will actually go on to achieve it.

As we know, the industry is pretty selective. So the stars that do make it big are the lucky ones. They have it all, money, fame, nice houses, luxury cars, notoriety. But sometimes being at the top isn't all that it's made out to be. And in the story we have for you today, you'll see just how true that statement is.

In the early 2000s, actor Johnny Lewis was on his way to becoming a household name. At just 28 years old, he had already starred in the main cast of four popular TV shows, becoming a fan favorite character in the breakout hit, Sons of Anarchy. He also walked the red carpets with his once girlfriend, pop star Katy Perry. But in late 2012...

Johnny Lewis came in the spotlight for a very different reason. So this is his story. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America. ♪♪

From the very beginning, it seems that Johnny Lewis was destined for the spotlight. Born Jonathan Kendrick Lewis in the San Fernando Valley on October 29th, 1983, he was the son of Devona and Michael Lewis, who had both moved to Los Angeles to follow their own dreams. His father, Michael, had journeyed to the City of Angels to work as a playwright, screenwriter, and counselor. Devona, who had grown up on a farm in a town of just 60 people in Alberta, Canada, was an English and drama teacher.

Like thousands of dreamers before them, they settled down and bought a house in what locals refer to as "The Valley", putting them a stone's throw away from the glitz and glamour of the world-famous studios. But of course, there was another thing that drew them to Los Angeles: their ties to Scientology. But we'll get into that a little bit later.

As for their son, Johnny, he was the middle child, wedged between his older sister, Anna, and his younger brother, Eric. And while we normally begin stories about people who commit horrible crimes with a peek at a traumatic childhood, that wasn't the case with Johnny Lewis. By all accounts, he wasn't a monster mutilating neighborhood pets. He wasn't starting fires or getting in fights with people. And he stayed out of trouble.

All of those heinous acts would come much later. The little Johnny Lewis growing up in Sherman Oaks was beloved and kind, and he seemed to have a magical, almost magnetic quality about him. In his brother Eric's 2018 documentary titled In Search Of, Eric describes his older brother in a way that I'm sure many younger siblings can relate to. He said, quote, "'He taught me love and compassion and grit and pride,'

and vulnerability. He taught me how to be a human." The three siblings were tight-knit from a young age. Old family videos taken from the bulky camcorders of the 80s show snapshots of their seemingly idyllic childhood. Johnny's hair is so blonde that it's almost white. His

his eyes are bright blue and always crinkled from the toothless grin on his face there are videos of him singing his abcs hugging and dancing with his sister videos of him giggling beside her both of them happily twirling in fairy costumes videos of him teetering around the yard barefoot and swinging on the swing set with a lack of grace that only a toddler can make cute

And although Johnny's childhood was normal, in the sense that he grew up in a loving home, it was pretty different from other kids his age. In fact, at just 6 years old, his mother took him to his very first audition, and by 7 years old, he had landed his first acting role. Now, we couldn't find much information about whether acting was Johnny's idea or his mother's,

but her support of his career would last for the rest of his life. His first acting gig was actually a video about escalator safety, and in it he acted with an animated raccoon. It was obviously a small role, but it seemed to jumpstart a passion for him, because from there on out, throughout his childhood and prepubescent years, he was frequently casted in commercials, like this Pizza Hut ad.

We're going to create the ultimate pizza. Let's eat some cheese. I want six kinds of cheese. Give me the toppings department. More toppings. More toppings. Everybody say. The new ultimate cheese pizza loaded with the topping of your choice. Of course, being a teen of the 90s, Johnny was wearing his hair with some spiky frosted tips, which gave him the look of a classic teen heartthrob. This very look, in addition to his acting skills, caught people's eye.

and eventually propelled him out of commercials and into movie and television roles. His rise to fame started with a guest role in "Seventh Heaven," where he played a baggy pants-wearing, rap-listening teenager. And if you've seen any of "Seventh Heaven," you know that it made him the antagonist of the episode.

But then in the year 2000, Johnny took on a role as a straight-laced cadet in Malcolm in the Middle. And in 2004, he acted in several episodes of Drake and Josh, which is the first time I remember seeing him. He was the drummer in Drake's band. In one episode, he gets the band in trouble for his unique method of getting them all tickets to a show. "- Guys, the tickets are not fake. Are you sure? I photocopied them myself."

But this was only the beginning for Johnny. He went on to star as one of the main cast members in the Fox sitcom, "Quintuplets." And he also took a reoccurring role in the wildly popular teen drama, "The O.C." Around this time, it looked like he was on his way to becoming a Hollywood staple. Not only had he acted in some of the most popular shows of the era, but he had made some loyal friends and good connections while doing it.

From the time he was 18 well into his early 20s, Johnny lived in what was known in the industry as the Wilton Hilton, a five-bedroom craftsman house on North Wilton Place in Hollywood. In an interview with L.A. Mag, one of Johnny's roommates at the time, Doug Usher, stated, "...it was the frat row of young Hollywood."

In the 1970s and 80s, the Wilton Hilton was best known for being party central for the punk rock bands of the time. The influential band The Screamers called it home for several years, inviting groups like Blondie and The Ramones over for wild multi-day parties.

It seems that by the 90s and early 2000s, when Johnny called it home, it had calmed down slightly, but was still a gathering place for parties and up-and-coming artists to let off some steam. Doug Usher reported to LA Mag that he and Johnny lived in the home with actors Adam Brody, Bret Harrison, and Ashley Simpson, as they were all working their way towards fame.

This kind of environment, surrounded by other artists, is one that Johnny seems to have chased for the rest of his life. Around 2005, Johnny was a frequent face at local acoustic nights, where fledgling stars would gather to perform their music, writing, and poetry to a like-minded crowd. Though Johnny loved acting and did it for nearly his entire life, it was poetry and writing that was his true passion. And it seems that his passion at one of these events is what caught Katy Perry's eye.

Now remember, this was 2005. At the time, Katy Perry was an up-and-coming name, trying her hardest to make her mark on the world. After breaking away from the Christian genre that she had started her career in, she was wetting her feet in the world of secular music. From 2004 to 2007, she went to several different record labels trying to find a home.

And like Johnny, she was exploring the impact she wanted to have on the world of art. And for around a year, they explored that together. Both Johnny and Katy Perry appeared on red carpets. They went to parties together and they attended many concerts over the years. And in all of the pictures of them, they're wrapped up in each other's arms. It's obvious that they were in love, but neither of them would have any idea that they were on the cusp

of life-changing success. Now the couple would end up parting ways before either of them had their big break. They announced that they had separated by 2006 and the exact details on their breakup are still a little unclear. But years down the road, a source close to Katy Perry told ABC News that her song, "The One That Got Away,"

was partially written about Johnny Lewis. Just in case you forgot what those lyrics are, it goes, "'In another life, I would be your girl. "'We keep all our promises, be us against the world.'"

"In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away." The song was about young love, and whatever the reason was why they broke up, it's clear that they still shared a mutual respect for one another. However, neither of them would ever speak about the breakup publicly,

In September of 2006, Johnny hopped on a plane and left sunny Los Angeles for the fog-shrouded rainforests of Vancouver, Canada to film Alien vs. Predator Requiem, which he had a starring role in. At that point, it was the most popular movie or television show he had ever been in, racking in $130 million in the box office against a $40 million budget. Yet his biggest role was still yet to come, and it came where he least expected it.

In February of 2008, a show called Sons of Anarchy began filming its very first season. And no one had any idea at the time that the crime drama about an outlaw motorcycle gang would go on to become one of the most popular shows of the 2000s, averaging anywhere from 2.2 to 4.6 million viewers per episode.

and snagging Golden Globes along the way. Now, I do have to say, Sons of Anarchy is truly one of my favorite shows of all time, and in it, Johnny plays the role of Kip Hapsack Epps, a prospect in the motorcycle gang. Essentially, he was the wannabe member tasked with all the jobs and obligations that none of the higher-ranking members wanted to take, kind of like a pledge in a fraternity.

It's undeniable that Johnny nailed the role from the very beginning. His loyalty, naivete, and charm quickly made him a fan favorite. But the role was not a favorite of Johnny's. At the time, Sons of Anarchy was promoted as one of the darkest, most violent shows on TV. And indeed, looking back at it, the violence is pretty intense. There's a scene where a father is forced to watch his daughter burn to death. Dozens of violent stabbings, a school shooting, torture scenes, drowning scenes, rape scenes...

There's even a scene where they murder a pedophile in cold blood. The show revolves around a violent gang, so clearly it's not for everyone. And that seemed to be the case for Johnny.

As season one wrapped up production and season two began, Johnny started to talk to the executive producer and creator, Kurt Sutter. In a 2009 interview with Alan Sepinwall of the Star-Ledger, Kirk stated, quote,

I love Johnny. I'd work with him again in a heartbeat. But because Johnny was not happy with his role in Sons of Anarchy, the creator, Kurt Sutter, eventually sent him an email informing him that his character would be killed off. The email read the following.

"I've given our chat a lot of thought over the past few days. I want to thank you for being honest. I respect your deep commitment to your creative process and honor your needs as an artist. I tried to look ahead to see what was in store for Halfsack and I'm not sure I will be able to fulfill your creative needs. I'd hate to be having the same conversation with you at the end of season 3, so I believe it's in everyone's best creative interests to say goodbye to Kip "Halfsack" Epps. As you requested, I found a cool heroic way for him to go out in 2-1-3.

He dies in the service of Jackson the Club, saving Abel's life. It's a bloody and honorable death. - Johnny's father would later say that his interest in quitting the show was purely creative and that it had nothing to do with anyone on set or his own love of acting. In an interview with LA Mag, Michael stated, quote, "He told us he left because the show was getting into gratuitous violence. He didn't want to communicate that as an artist."

Now, in hindsight, this statement is full of irony because the story of Johnny Lewis would soon end in violence. But at the time, he was so concerned about portraying violence that he left the most profitable and successful role of his career, one that most actors would give anything to have.

In April of 2009, soon after wrapping his final scenes in Sons of Anarchy, Johnny was looking to find a home. And soon enough, he learned about the Writer's Villa, which is a beautiful home located at 3605 Lowry Road.

And it's exactly what you picture when you think of a house in the most expensive neighborhood in LA. Leading up to it, there are palm and jacaranda trees lining the impossibly narrow mountain roads, hedges and intricate wrought iron fences that separate those winding streets from the multi-million dollar homes hiding in the hillsides. Now, the home itself is a 3,000 square foot mansion designed to look like an Italian villa. It sat high up on the street, looming above all of the other homes.

It had steep stairs and a nearly vertical driveway leading up to the house. On the inside, it was beautiful yet cozy, the embodiment of warmth. The walls were painted in inviting shades of cream, yellow, and red. Tiles traced the inside of the home, and the huge windows not only overlooked a courtyard but the breathtaking San Gabriel Mountains. And when Johnny saw this home for the first time, he wanted to live there. Not only was it exactly what he was looking for, but it was also in an area where other celebrities were located.

And it seemed like a perfect match. But the home actually wasn't for sale. A woman named Catherine Davis had owned it since 1958, and she was only interested in renting it out. So when Johnny Lewis, the young and successful actor, came to tour it, she was happy to rent it out to him. Now, Catherine Davis was born in 1930 in Dallas, Texas, but she moved to Los Angeles in 1950 to attend UCLA.

At the time, only 21% of students attending college in the United States were women, and only 1.2% of all eligible women in America attended college. Miss Kathy was unconventional, independent, hardworking, and a fearless woman in her early 20s.

but she would remain that way for the next 60 years of her life. She went on to work several jobs in the world of publishing, and eventually, she married a man named James H. Davis, who was the student body president at UCLA in June of 1951.

Soon after their marriage, the two purchased the home in the Los Feliz Hills that would one day be known as the Ryder's Villa. Kathy's husband James went on to become a prominent attorney and Miss Kathy focused her efforts on raising their daughter. But their marriage wouldn't last long. There are a few different accounts on what happened but what we do know is this. In 2001 at the age of 71,

her husband James was arrested and jailed for 12 years for stealing from the clients he was meant to defend. An LA Times article notes, "Judge Robert Perry had to consider the severity of his crimes and the vulnerability of the victims, many of whom were paraplegics who did not speak English." So he took advantage of people

and he had to pay the price. When you contrast that with what we know of Miss Cathy's personality, it's easy to see why the two weren't a good match.

Soon after the divorce, Kathy prided herself in being an important member of the feminist movement and for becoming a modern self-reliant woman. Her obituary described her as "a once bold, colorful, simple, direct, and easy, a quintessentially modern California individual living life on her own terms and loving her life with many friends and extended family." Now, eventually, her daughter would grow and move out. She left home to attend Georgetown.

And from there, Miss Cathy had a desire to help other young artists. In fact, she often opened her doors to actors, writers, singers, and directors, welcoming them to rent her rooms and live in a supportive creative environment with a Hollywood mom. And if you're trying to break into Hollywood, you need a Hollywood mom. - As easy as it is to imagine all the glitz and glamor of fame, the reality of achieving it is much more gritty, soul-crushing,

and exhausting than people realize. Imagine going to audition after audition, having your work, looks, and voice picked apart in front of all these people, having to deal with constant rejections. And for many, they'll make it far enough where their dreams are just out of reach, only for the rug to be ripped out from under them. Maybe a role is given to someone else, or maybe you get the role, and then the entire project falls through in a blink of an eye.

This is the reality for many people in Hollywood. It's harsh, unforgiving, and nothing is promised. It doesn't matter how good you are at what you do, sometimes it just doesn't work out. And Miss Cathy knew this. When an audition went poorly for an actor or a pitch was a flop for a writer, she would be waiting in the kitchen of the writer's villa with open arms. She would often make them homemade tamales, sit with her Hollywood children,

and give them the comfort they desperately needed. The majority of people flocking to Hollywood have families that are hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. And usually these far away families don't understand the line of work that they're trying to get into. And very often they don't support it.

But Miss Kathy was the parent and guiding force that dozens of people needed as they embarked on their journey into Hollywood, a journey that offers no training wheels and no mercy for newbies. - This kind of supportive environment is what drew Johnny Lewis to the writer's villa.

After speaking with Miss Kathy, he was promptly offered one of the suites, known as the Red Room. But rent wasn't cheap, hovering anywhere between $1650 and $3000 a month for one bedroom with a private bathroom, sitting room, and access to the rest of the home. For perspective, at the time, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in LA was about $1200. Yet, the Ryder's villa offered things nowhere else seemed to. For Johnny and many others,

That was priceless. So he moved in. And at first, it seemed to be working out for him. His friend Bo Garrett told LA Mag, I remember all the nice things he said about Miss Kathy. But interestingly, he wouldn't stay very long. He would end up moving later that year. Not because of any disagreements or unhappiness. He left because he discovered that his girlfriend was pregnant. In the summer of 2009...

Johnny was told that he was going to be a father. His girlfriend at the time, Diane Guida, was a talented actress, artist, and producer. Now the exact state of their relationship over the course of her pregnancy isn't entirely clear, but evidently, the two got apartment together in Hollywood with the intention of co-parenting their daughter, regardless of the status of their relationship. But in time, this agreement began to fall apart.

Some people just don't work out, and it seems like that was the case for Johnny and Diane. However, Johnny's friend Doug Usher told the LA Mag that Johnny was beyond thrilled to become a dad, and that at the baby shower, everything seemed to be going well. By April of 2010, Johnny and Diane's daughter, Kola Mae, was born, and their entire lives changed.

But soon enough, after several months of trying to co-parent, the two hit a fork in the road. There are very few details about what happened between them, but it is known that a custody battle began and that it was vicious. Close friends and family have described this period of Johnny's life as rather tumultuous.

In late 2010, Johnny traveled to Hagerstown, Maryland, a historic town on the panhandle of Virginia, right near the border of West Virginia.

he was there to star in a horror movie directed by eduardo sanchez the same guy who wrote directed and edited the wildly popular and groundbreaking movie the blair witch project in 1999 the movie titled lovely molly revolves around johnny's wife played by gretchen lodge who's corrupted by a demon and tormented by the memory of an assault committed against her when she was a child

The movie is psychologically twisted, dark, and truly fits the label of a horror film. Filming took place over 21 days, during which time the crew grew incredibly close. Johnny and Gretchen seemed to have even begun dating during this time or soon after filming wrapped, which makes sense when you look at the scenes they were filming. When you have a twisted horror film about lovers, every scene is juxtaposed with the next.

It ends up being a mix of loving, sensual and connected scenes, clashing against scary, vulnerable and intense scenes where actors are forced to truly bear it all, both emotionally and physically. In many scenes, Gretchen, who had never acted in a feature-length film before, had to be naked, covered in blood, screaming and acting as though she was possessed. In one scene, she had to bite off Johnny's lip. And, spoiler alert, in the end, Johnny's character is brutally killed with a blow to the head.

But just two years after the filming of "Lovely Molly" in October of 2011, it was a blow to Johnny's head that would ultimately lead to his downfall. On October 30th, 2011, Johnny went for a motorcycle ride to clear his head. During the filming of "Sons of Anarchy," he fell in love with motorcycles and ultimately purchased his pride and joy. A Triumph motorcycle affectionately nicknamed

Bonnie. On that warm October day, Johnny decided to take Bonnie for a road trip towards Joshua Tree National Park. And if you've ever been to this part of California, you know the appeal of just driving into the desert to get your mind in order. From the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, you can hop on the 10 freeway and watch the city disappear behind you. Within a few short hours,

There will be nothing on either side of you but distant mountains, orange rock formations, and Joshua trees that reach up to the blue sky. The drive itself, watching the world disappear behind you and replaced by nature, is therapeutic. And it seems at the time that Johnny needed this, but the ride wouldn't go as planned.

Along the drive, Johnny hit 29 Palms, a desert town just north of Joshua Tree National Park. And as he blew through the town and out on the other side,

Making his way towards the more open desert, something went wrong. No one knows exactly how the crash happened, but near the corner of 29 Palms Highway and Primrose Lane, Johnny hit the ground hard and fast. He later told his brother and medical workers that he believed he was going around 50 miles per hour at the time of the accident.

and it's never been reported if he was wearing a helmet. But with his bike beat up and his head spinning, he reached out to his brother for a ride back to LA. At a nearby hospital, he was checked for signs of a concussion

but he was allowed to leave after they determined he didn't have one. But according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there is growing evidence to suggest that traumatic brain injuries can often show no outward signs immediately following a head injury.

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If Johnny was tested for a concussion, which is just a mild form of a traumatic brain injury, doctors likely would have looked at his eye movement, reflexes, and memory recall to diagnose him. If all of these appeared normal, doctors could have determined that he didn't have any noticeable or impactful head injury. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, some traumatic brain injuries are primary.

meaning that the damage is immediate and noticeable. Others can be secondary, which means they occur over the course of hours, days, or weeks after the initial impact.

Those who knew Johnny suggest that he was suffering from a secondary traumatic brain injury. And when you look at the months that immediately followed the crash, it's easy to see why. In December of 2011, two months after the crash, Johnny was attending an acting class that he frequented. According to his close friend, Jonathan Tucker, Johnny was using a strange British accent for the entirety of the class. His friend later told LA Mag, "I asked him about it because I was confused, but he shrugged it off."

Jonathan had known him for several years, and according to him, this kind of behavior was incredibly unusual. - By January of 2012, those around him could no longer ignore his strange behavior. According to his father, it was around this time that Johnny began to sit in near total darkness. On his blog, Johnny's father wrote, quote,

Extreme sensitivity to light is one of the most common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. And knowing something was deeply wrong, Johnny's parents decided to keep a close eye on him. On Sunday morning, January 3rd, 2012,

He was relaxing at his parents' condo in Northridge as his mom cooked omelets on the stove.

Johnny stood up abruptly, still wearing his pajamas. He told his mother that he was going for a walk and he headed out the door. But what happened next still isn't entirely clear. According to Johnny's retelling of events, as he was walking, he thought he heard a woman scream for help in a nearby condo. So in a panic, he broke in the window only to discover that the apartment

was completely empty. Now on the street, two men actually saw him break into this window and they approached him and demanded that he leave. But in response, Johnny attacked the men with a glass bottle, hitting each of them over the head. From there, the three began to viciously fight. Johnny even bit one of the men in their arm, but eventually he was overpowered and the men pinned him to the ground.

At the trial, one of these men who pinned him down stated that as they did so, he continued to fight and thrash. And to try and stop him, he punched Johnny in the face anywhere from 10 to 15 times before law enforcement arrived. When they finally pulled up, Johnny was hauled to jail and charged with trespassing, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon.

After 27 years of displaying no violence whatsoever and committing no crimes, Johnny was suddenly behind bars after what his family and friends described as an uncharacteristically violent act.

Three days later, he allegedly turned that violence on himself by attempting to jump from the second story level at the jail. This, along with his repeated attempts to bash his head against the concrete wall of his cell, resulted in him being transferred to a psychiatric ward on a 72-hour hold. In California, this is referred to as a 5150. Now, when his 72 hours in the ward was up, his father bailed him out.

Once more, his parents brought him to their condo in Northridge to monitor him, but this time, things were undeniably worse. His older sister Anna told L.A. Mag, "He looked like a wounded, broken animal."

He repeatedly disabled the fuse box to the condo in order to prevent his parents from turning the lights on and refused to let anyone touch him or get near him. For a moment, just imagine that. Less than a year prior, Johnny had been sitting in a cafe in Berlin working on a novel he wanted to write. Smiling and well-groomed, he made this video for a loved one. Hi.

I'm in a cafe in Berlin and so talking very quietly so that people won't hear me. I'm also staring at my face, which is very disconcerting. But I miss you so terribly babe. I miss you so very much and I hope you're good and happy and safe wherever you are.

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But in January of 2012, he was huddled in the corner of a dark room in his parents' condo, unable to be in the light, unable to carry on a meaningful conversation or do much of anything but feel fear, confusion and anger. And I don't know about you, but the fact that that can happen to anyone at any time is terrifying. Upon being discharged from the hospital, Johnny's papers read, quote, chief complaint,

blunt head trauma, and suicidal. And this didn't change when he was released. Sometime in January, Johnny cut open his wrists in a suicide attempt. These cuts were one inch long on his left wrist and several inches on his right, but it would later be noted that they were well-heeled.

And sadly, despite his suicide attempts, he was able to move to Santa Monica and live on his own. Now we aren't here to cast blame, but in Johnny's state, I can't imagine him living alone. And tragically, his move to Santa Monica went about as well as you can expect.

One night in mid-February, a passerby walking on the beach in Santa Monica noticed something in the dark waves. When they got closer, they realized it was a man. He was fully clothed and walking deeper into the churning, frigid waves.

The witness actually helped pull him out of the water and called an ambulance that would rush him to the hospital. There, Johnny was treated for hypothermia and he was released. Within just two weeks of this incident, he was arrested twice for increasingly bizarre and concerning behavior. On February 10th, he was arrested for punching a man in the face

outside of a yogurt shop and it was completely unprompted. For that incident, he was released on a $20,000 bail, but he wouldn't stay out of trouble because just days later on February 18th, Johnny was arrested once more for attempting to break into a woman's apartment. When asked by police, he told them that he believed it was the home of a friend. But again, after his arrest, he was let go on bail.

So, sure, Johnny was out of jail twice, but that didn't stop the court dates from coming, nor from his mental health deteriorating even more. In May, his friend Jonathan Tucker picked him up to take him to one of his court hearings. Remember, this is the same friend that had noticed Johnny speaking in a strange accent, months prior in their acting class. Within seconds of having Johnny in his car, it was clear how much worse things had gotten. He told L.A. Mag,

It was another person completely. He had a look I have only seen with disturbed veterans of war. His memory was scattered. He vacillated between lucid conversation and incoherence. It was clear to his family, friends and professionals that Johnny needed help. On May 17th, 2012, Johnny's probation officer wrote as follows in his official report: "The defendant 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. And yet, little was done. This brings us to one of the most challenging parts of this story, one that has received a lot of attention in the media. Johnny's parents were Scientologists.

Not just Scientologists though, they were top level Scientologists. They were what is referred to as Operating Thetan Level 8, which is the highest level of spiritual freedom in the Scientology Church. Apparently, this level can only be acquired by taking a trip on the Freewinds, a Scientology cruise ship. Now, there have been some serious claims of abuse and kidnapping taking place on the Freewind, but we'll save that for a Conspiracy Files episode.

However, it's widely known that Scientology as a religion denounces psychiatric problems and disapproves of mental health and medication being used at all. To people living a secular life, it's probably hard to imagine how anyone could be manipulated into thinking that way.

However, a look at the Scientology website shows what kind of tactics are being used to sway their members. Consider this section, straight from their website under a page labeled: "Why is Scientology Opposed to Psychiatric Abuses?" "The Scientology objection to psychiatry does not stem from any desire to deny the insane treatment. Rather, the Church objects to the mistreatment of the insane, which is psychohistorical hallmark.

Nor do Scientologists believe people should be stigmatized with labels and treated with cures that have no basis in science and are brutal in the extreme. Through its long and tragic history, psychiatry has invented numerous cures which eventually proved destructive in the extreme. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mentally troubled patients were literally subjected to torture devices. Next it was ice baths and insulin shock.

then electroconvulsive therapy that caused broken teeth and bones as well as loss of memory and regression into comatose states Next, it was prefrontal lobotomies with an ice pick through the eye socket Today, it is drugs It is now routine psychiatric practice to label and stigmatize youth with wholesale diagnosis of mental disorders

It is a staggeringly profitable business. But while psychiatrists rake in billions, society receives a new generation of lifelong drug addicts and thus still more customers for psychotropic drugs.

Today, the market of antidepressants has likewise reached nightmarish proportions and the scenario becomes even more disturbing when one considers the explosively violent episodes such drugs precipitate Moreover, there is categorically no evidence that diseases such drugs claim to treat even exist which is to say it's all an elaborate and deadly hoax This is not Scientology belief or opinion This is fact and this is why Scientologists oppose psychiatric abuse

If you love Murder in America, you love mysteries, you love true crime, you love murder stories and the unknown, then I have a new show for you. It's called The Conspiracy Files and it's hosted by me, Colin Browen, from Murder in America and The Paranormal Files.

On The Conspiracy Files, we explore everything from bizarre deaths to freak paranormal events, pedophile rings, government corruption, ritual sacrifice. No topic is untouched on this show. Everything that we talk about on The Conspiracy Files is backed up with fact,

I release reference sheets with every single episode that we do so you guys know everything we're talking about is confirmed to have happened and be real. It's a completely different type of show than anything else you've ever seen about conspiracy theories. Instead of a bunch of conjecture and theories, we're presenting you people with facts, telling you the story, walking you through the story just as detailed as we do with Murder in America, and then letting the listener decide what they think.

Anyways, you should definitely give it a listen. It's called The Conspiracy Files. The links are in the description of this show and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And now let's get back to our story.

Not only did they denounce the existence of mental health conditions in this paragraph, but they also compared taking antidepressants to brutal lobotomies, which 19.3% of adult US population does daily. We think it's fair to say that Johnny was in desperate need of treatment, whether that was medication, counseling, or the two combined.

which is the recommended course of action for people suffering with psychosis. Now we aren't saying that everyone needs to be medicated, but in the documentary "In Search Of" starring Johnny's brother Eric, he states that his parents didn't believe in medication. And though Eric fought to put Johnny in the facility to keep him on the right medication and to keep him into treatment, he claims that his parents wanted to keep him off the psychiatric medication.

But Johnny's father denies this, saying that he, quote, "tried everything to help his son," end quote. But regardless, Johnny ended up at Ridgeview Ranch, a now closed treatment center for substance abuse and psychosis.

In line with the rules of Scientology that Ridgeview was affiliated with, there was no prescribed psychiatric medication at the facility. However, over the next few months, Johnny seemingly began to improve. In July, he wrote in his journal, quote, "'Felt more whole today, more complete, like parts of myself had been stolen in my sleep and scattered all over the world, and now they've begun to return. I'm more determined than ever now,'

I'll face what I am. I'll face what I was." End quote. But sadly, it seems like that feeling didn't last long. In late July, Johnny went to trial for the aggravated assault at the condo in Northridge from the previous January. His attorney wanted to approach the judge with a proposal

If Johnny spent a year at Ridgeview, he wouldn't have to go to jail whatsoever. But at this time, Johnny wasn't in his right mind. He was confident that his case would be dropped because he believed he acted in self-defense. So he fired his attorney and decided to act as his own. But this, of course, didn't work out as planned. Instead of receiving no sentence or simply going to Ridgeview, Johnny was sentenced to a year in prison.

Because of the crowding at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Johnny only served a total of six weeks before he was released on September 21st, 2012. As soon as he got out, he went to Atwater Village to stay at the Los Feliz Hotel. Two days later, on September 23rd, 2012, Johnny's father picked him up.

Little's known about what Johnny's disposition was on that day, but he apparently went shopping for new clothes with his dad and was brought back to the Valley so he could pick up his motorcycle, which he had left at his parents' condo in Northridge. Johnny was evidently reluctant to go back to Ridgeview, in spite of his parents' insistence, but it was clear that he needed a place to stay at.

and that's where the writer's villa came back into the picture. Johnny apparently asked his father if he could call Miss Kathy and see if there was a spot for him there. Naturally, she agreed and quickly got his old room ready for his arrival.

The writer's villa was a place for creatives to lick their wounds and heal their souls, and it apparently seemed like the perfect place to help Johnny get back on his feet. To Miss Kathy, who had no idea he had been in prison or was struggling with his mental health, it seemed like the return of a beloved guest and friend.

On September 24th, Johnny moved back into the Red Room, the same suite he had stayed in when his career was just kicking off. He told his friends and family that he wanted to settle down and start digging into his real passion, writing and poetry. He intended to work on his book at the Writer's Villa, but that never happened.

And this is where we see some discrepancies in the timeline. Now, Johnny's father claimed that he was excited to go back to the writer's villa and that it was initially his idea. However, in the documentary, In Search Of, Johnny's close friend, Jonathan Tucker, states that Johnny called him on the 24th.

the same day that he moved into the villa, and he asked if he could stay with him for a while. Here is that voicemail from the documentary, allegedly recorded just two days before Johnny went on a murderous rampage. Zach, hey brother, it's Johnny. I, uh...

Now, Jonathan Tucker missed the call and only heard the voicemail about an hour after Johnny left it.

The two had been close friends for quite some time. Just a few years prior, Johnny had stayed with Tucker in New York. Tucker claimed that he was a perfect guest. When he woke up in the morning, his entire apartment would be clean and Johnny would already be out the door, exploring the neighborhood and bringing back bagels for breakfast.

He spent the whole trip trying out different restaurants, going to museums, and writing in the same bars that the Beatniks did in the 50s and 60s. But by 2012, Jonathan decided he couldn't risk letting Johnny stay with him. And I couldn't let him stay at my house because it just wouldn't have been safe.

Jonathan's eyes well with tears as he says it, as he struggles to look at the camera, instead looking down and out of frame. It's clear it's a decision that he struggled with, but he states that it isn't one he regretted.

Now this isn't touched on more deeply in the documentary, but to us, it was of huge importance. Jonathan's close, lifelong friends were scared of him. So scared that they wouldn't allow him to stay in their home out of fear of their family's safety. They clearly saw him as a time bomb. And though we have many details about his behavior, we don't have all of them. How much worse was his mental health than what was released to the public?

Now that same day, September 24th, Johnny's father reportedly called him to check in. But when he answered, Johnny was agitated. His dad said that he answered the phone angrily, quickly snapping that he was busy and he demanded to know what his dad wanted. But shortly after their conversation, he began to calm down. And that was the last time Johnny's father ever spoke to his son. However, his brother hadn't spoken to him in several days.

Once upon a time I had a brother. He was the elements embodied. Fire in his blood and the ocean in his eyes. Unique, yet somehow eternal. He taught me love and compassion and grit and pride and vulnerability. He taught me what it was to be human. Then one dreamy day in autumn, something happened.

That day in autumn was September 26th, 2012. Dan Blackburn, the neighbor of Miss Kathy, had been watching out of his window, skeptically eyeing the disheveled-looking man pacing up and down the road. This man, of course, was Johnny Lewis. He was shirtless and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and bright red shoes. He was soaked with sweat and

and had a distant hollow look in his eyes. After pacing for about 15 minutes, Johnny approached Dan. He introduced himself as John, Dan's new neighbor, and then suddenly he turned around and walked away.

And in that moment, Dan had this sinking feeling in his chest. Something about their interaction was unusual. However, Dan brushed it aside. After all, artists were known to be a bit unconventional. So from there, he went on with his daily routine. But about a half hour later,

Dan's wife, Gloria, began to scream. Not knowing what was going on, Dan ran through the house and found his wife on the patio with a look of horror on her face. He quickly looked out to see what she was looking at. And there, he saw Johnny Lewis pinning a man to the ground. The man was a painter working on a nearby home. And horrifically, there was blood stained all over the worker's face and his face.

and Johnny's fist. Dan watched as Johnny Lewis punched the worker in the face over and over again, pummeling him and throwing droplets of blood all over himself and the ground around him. Dan quickly rushed to the painter's rescue, throwing Johnny off of him. But in response, Johnny decked Dan in the face with a hard, fast punch. When describing the scene, Dan told L.A. Mag, quote, his expression was flat,

his gaze distant, but he seemed to have supernatural strength. End quote. And Dan quickly knew that he was fighting for his life. When Johnny approached him again, Dan punched him in the face, but Johnny didn't even react.

He didn't flinch. He didn't cry out. It was like hitting a brick wall. Finally, Dan managed to get an upper hand by slamming a patio chair against Johnny. From there, the painter and Dan quickly raced into the house to escape. But as they tried to shut the door, Johnny threw his arm through the crack at the last minute. It was like a scene out of The Shining. And from the sounds of things, that's not very far off. In that moment,

Dan, the painter, and Dan's wife, Gloria, repeatedly slam their bodies against the door in an attempt to get it closed. But Johnny refused to move his arm, reaching for them like a madman. Finally, after four hard slams,

Johnny pulled his arm out, allowing the Blackburns to lock their door and barricade themselves. From there, they frantically called the police, who had no idea what kind of horrific scene they were about to walk into.

It only took minutes for LAPD to arrive at the writer's villa where Dan had seen Johnny flee after his brutal and unprovoked attack. But in those few minutes, something horrible had happened. Police arrived to find Johnny Lewis laying in a pool of his own blood in the driveway of the writer's villa. By 10:57 AM, he was pronounced dead. He was discovered lying face up, his eyes towards the blue sky, and the back of his head smashed against the concrete.

In the photos that we'll link on our Patreon, you can see the spatter of the impact and the sheer amount that he bled. His autopsy report reads: "It appears that the decedent jumped over the wrought iron railing at the top of the terrace to drop to the driveway below during an attempt to flee the location. During this jump, the decedent lost his balance and landed on the driveway head first."

A blood splatter is noted on the driveway below the railing. The momentum caused him to slide across the driveway where he came to rest along the outside edge of the driveway. In other words, according to the deputy medical examiner, Johnny died in an accidental fall while he was attempting to flee the scene of multiple crimes that he committed.

They stated that there was no definitive evidence that the fall was intentional and no evidence that he had been pushed. He died of multiple traumatic injuries, including hemorrhagic fractures of the skull and fractures of his spine. On his body, clear fingernail marks were visible, and it seemed that he had suffered from partial strangulation.

When detectives entered the writer's villa just moments later, it became very clear who had strangled him and that it was in self-defense. Now, the first floor of the villa was pristine, lined with art and very organized.

But the second floor was a wildly different story. As law enforcement walked up the stairs, they noticed broken glass littered across the floor. And upon entering the master bedroom, they found a grisly scene. The room was coated in blood. The walls, the bed, the tables, and the chairs in the room were all stained black.

with crimson red. Every mirror in the room and in the bathrooms had been shattered into a million pieces. But in the center of the mayhem, lying next to her bed, was Miss Kathy Davis. At 81 years old, after being a Hollywood mom to hundreds of people, she had met a violent, terrible end. The coroner's report described the blunt force trauma as follows:

Quote, it fractured her entire skull and obliterated the left side of her face, leaving her brain exposed. Brain and tissue matter seen on the floor around her. Her face is covered in blood. Her nose split down the middle and upper jaw is split open. End quote.

Now, this next part involves animal cruelty, but in the shower in the adjoining bathroom, over the shattered pieces of the broken mirror, there was another horrific discovery awaiting law enforcement. In the shower was the body of Miss Kathy's beloved gray and white cat. He had been beaten and dismembered by Johnny. The brutality and senselessness of the scene is something that still haunts everyone who knows this case.

Upon further investigation, detectives came to believe that Johnny beat Miss Kathy with a rusty hammer that was found in his room. Horrifically, he then punched her repeatedly and strangled her with his bare hands. The beating was so violent and the injuries on Miss Kathy were so gruesome that investigators believe that Johnny had stomped on her head

after he suffocated her. In addition to the brutal punches, kicks, and hits with the hammer, she had four puncture wounds on her cheeks, which were likely from a mechanical pencil found beside her body. This was definitely overkill, but why? Sadly, as detectives continued to walk through the scene, they also believe that... They also found that after Johnny killed Miss Kathy, he moved on to Jesse, her cat.

who was constantly by her side as her loyal companion. It's likely that Jesse was in the room at the time of her attack. But to this day, no one knows exactly what set Johnny off. Miss Kathy was known to be kind to everyone, understanding, and above all, helpful. The two had never been seen arguing, there were never any screams heard coming from the house, and both only had nice things to say about each other.

As the media learned about the violent attack, it seemed as if the entire city was in mourning. And at the same time, they were enamored with the news. After all, Johnny Lewis was a famous actor. So how did he go from being on our TV screens

to a violent murderer, especially to a woman like Ms. Cathy. The people who knew her spoke publicly about how she was essentially an angel. Actor Taylor Negron told magazine XO Jane that she was a quote, Hollywood legend, a near saint, and a kind and loving mother to so many."

including me." And then there was the coverage of Johnny, and it was sensational and fuelled with rumours. The following clips are from The Daily Buzz and Clevver News. I'm not even sure he was in his right mind when this actually happened. I think it's probably certain that he wasn't in his right mind, and there is suggestions today that he may have been on the drug commonly referred to on the street as Smiles.

It's also been reported that Johnny was on either PCP or meth at the time of the incident. To this day, there are several sources, articles, and biographies about Johnny that state he was on drugs at the time of the incident. Many of these statements seem to stem from the reports about Johnny being in a rehab facility, Ridgeview, just prior to his death.

but the narrative about johnny being addicted to drugs in general isn't as clear-cut as the media has suggested his father and friends have stated that at ridgeview johnny needed to state that he had an addiction in addition to his mental health problems in order to be admitted

At first, he tried to state that he had a marijuana addiction. He wrote to his friends in an email: "On a side note, we're pleading rehab to avoid trial. Addicted to marijuana, what a trip." But upon arrival at Ridgeview, his claim that he was addicted to marijuana didn't fly with staff. Instead, he started to claim that he was an alcoholic.

According to many of Johnny's friends, he had dabbled with drugs in the past, but he wasn't an active user or ever struggling with addiction. Jonathan Tucker told LA Mag that Johnny was the type to stay up late playing chess and drinking tea, ever to party. He stated:

That's what made Johnny special. No drugs, no alcohol, just poetry and philosophy. Tim Woodhead, a fellow inmate that became friends with Johnny at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, also commented on Johnny's drug use, stating, I did a lot of drug seeking at that place. There were a lot of opportunities that he turned down multiple times. At the time of his death, there were no drugs or alcohol in Johnny's system.

He was tested for synthetics, PCP, marijuana, ecstasy, just about every drug you can possibly imagine. And every single one came back negative. - So what could have driven Johnny Lewis to commit this heinous act? Some suggest that it was just the brain injury. Others believe that Johnny already had an underlying psychiatric disorder that was worsened by the brain injury he sustained. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine, quote,

"Mild TBI, once considered a largely benign phenomenon, is known to be associated with a range of affective symptoms, with suicidality, with worsening or new onset of several psychiatric disorders."

end quote. And we've seen in many stories we've covered in the past how brain injuries can cause people to become violent down the road. So is this what happened to Johnny Lewis? We may never know, but after the crime, his family has worked hard to promote education about traumatic brain injuries. And this story is just tragic all around. Johnny Lewis had it all. He

He was living out the dream that so many people would give anything to have. But in the end, fame, money, and notoriety clearly isn't everything. Within a few short years, Johnny Lewis went from being a beloved actor to a violent killer.

In the wake of Miss Kathy's loss, several of her former Hollywood children have tried to carry on her spirit with them, promoting arts programs and encouraging youth to follow their dreams. So in honor of Miss Kathy and her mission to the arts, we will be making a donation to Inner City Arts, an organization dedicated to engaging underprivileged youth in the creative process of various art forms to shape a more confident,

and collaborative society. And before we end the episode today, we do have a shout out to two very special listeners of ours. And their names are Tess and Angel. I recently just connected with Tess on TikTok and she told me that on December 9th, three years ago, she and Angel really bonded over our podcast. And just this past week, they got engaged. So congratulations, you two. We are so, so happy for you. And we're

We just want to thank you for being loyal listeners for all these years, and we wish you a lifetime of happiness. Yeah. Congratulations to you too, from obviously both Courtney and I. Thank you for listening to our show and we wish you the happiest marriage. Yeah. Congratulations.

Hey everybody, it's Colin. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. This story is one that I've wanted to tell for a very long time. I just could not believe that this happened. When I was younger, I watched Sons of Anarchy. It was my favorite show. I was absolutely obsessed with the show. In a weird twist, a lot of people...

still to this day tell me that I bear a slight resemblance to Jax. I think they're being very kind, but it's something that I'm told pretty frequently. And when I first heard about Johnny, you know, having done these things, it was really, really shocking as someone that loved that show and essentially grew up with it.

It's such a sad story all the way around. But if you enjoy these episodes and you want to get access to bonus episodes of Murder in America, consider joining us on our Patreon. If you sign up for Patreon, you can get access instantly to a library of over 100 episodes of Murder in America that will never be posted on our main feed.

These are full-length episodes of the show, edited just like every other episode that we post. So if you love the show and you want to hear more stories, consider joining us on Patreon. You can also get access to every single episode of the show early and ad-free, just in case you don't like the advertisements and you want just a clean listening experience. I want to thank everybody who joined us on Patreon over the last few years.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every single case that we cover. Thank you all once again for listening this week. We appreciate you all so very much from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you. And I'll catch you all on the next one.