On Wednesday Sept 26th Johnny Lewis, known as Kip ‘Half Sack’ Epps on two seasons of “Sons of Anarchy” was found dead in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles California where the actor rented a room from an elderly women, Catherine Davis.
Lewis, 28, was released from jail just a week before his death. On Aug. 8 he had pleaded no contest to one count of assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 3 years probation and 365 days in Los Angeles County Jail. Lewis later pleaded no contest to another charge in a separate burglary case that landed him with 291 more days in jail. It is not clear for what reasons Lewis was released.
Around 10:40 a.m. on the morning of his death, an altercation broke out when Lewis allegedly hopped the fence of a home next to Davis’ and proceeded to attack a painter who was working there at the time. The neighbor and his wife ran outside to stop the fight and to their shock Lewis appeared to be completely unfazed by the blows he took. Miraculously, all three of them were able to scramble back into the safety of their home but according to the neighbor it took their combined strength to keep Lewis from thundering through the door that they desperately barricaded.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Lewis dead in Davis’ driveway about six feet from a wall. Davis, 81, was also found dead inside her home along with the body of a dead cat. Initial investigations reveal that Davis appeared to have died from blunt force trauma. Lewis is believed to have fallen from a roof, stairway or balcony near the scene.
Lewis has been identified as the sole suspect in the death of Catherine Davis.
With a possible similarity to the actor’s character on the popular TV show, Lewis’ involvement with a new and very dangerous drug, C2-I, more commonly known as ‘Smiles’ is being investigated as a cause to his unreceptiveness to blows delivered to him along with the super human strength he exibited on the morning of his death. The effects of Smiles have been characterized as a far more potent combination of MDMA and LSD. The drug, which comes in the form of a pill, liquid or powder is challenging for doctors to treat because it is untraceable in tests. When affected by Smiles a person’s muscles become so rigid to where they can’t uncontract causing their temperature to get dangerously high to the point where if one is not treated aggressively they usually end up dying. The drug is also known to cause seizures, kidney failure, and fatally high blood pressure. The fact that it is difficult to measure in power form has lead to users snorting more than they realize and overdosing.
The creator of “Sons of Anarchy,” Kurt Sutter released an official statement regarding Lewis’ death “Not sure if folks know this yet, but Johnny Lewis (halfsack) died last night. The sad irony of it happening two days after Opie’s death is not lost on me. It was 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. 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.”
Sources: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/sons-of-anarchy-actor-rele… http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8826223 http://abcnews.go.com/US/sons-anarchy-actor-johnny-lewis-jail-days-death… http://www.whosay.com/kurtsutter/content/404295?wsref=tw&code=Oqn4g42 http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/2c-smiles-killer-drug-every-parent…
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.