An autopsy indicated that Jonny Lewis had suffered partial strangulation and had fingernail marks on his neck when he died.
Against speculatioms, there was no indication that Lewis had been pushed or that he jumped from the roof in an act of suicide. His death was ruled accidental.
Lewis and was found dead on September 26, 2012, together with his landlady, Catherine Davis.
Davis was known in Hollywood for operating the Writers’ Villa, a bed-and-breakfast for up-and-coming performers, directors and writers, in her home.
Lewis, who had previously lived there in 2009, had recently moved back in. Police were called by neighbors after Lewis violently attacked two people at the property next door and Davis was heard screaming.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) found Lewis’ body on the home’s driveway. Davis was found dead inside the house with severe head injuries; her pet cat was also found dead in a bathroom.
Neighbors reported that Lewis had jumped over a fence to the next-door property, assaulted a house painter and the homeowner (to whom Lewis had earlier introduced himself as “John, your new neighbor”), and then jumped back over the fence onto Davis’ property.
According to the LAPD, Lewis then either fell or jumped from the roof, garage, or patio of Davis’ house. His death was investigated as a homicide, and it was later determined that he had killed Davis by manual strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head.
An autopsy report released on November 29, 2012 stated that Lewis did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system when he died.
He had a history of drug abuse, leading to speculation by his attorney that the actor may have suffered a drug-induced psychosis when he allegedly killed his landlady.
Toxicology reports came back negative for alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, psychedelic drugs, or anti-psychotic medication.