Actor Johnny Lewis, best known for his stint as Chili on The O.C. and, more recently, for playing Kip "Half-Sack" Epps on FX's Sons of Anarchy, was found dead yesterday near the body of a murdered 81-year-old woman believed to be his landlady.

The LAPD says the 28-year-old Lewis is the sole suspect in Catherine (or Katherine) Davis's homicide, which occurred yesterday morning in the 3600 block of Lowry Road in Los Feliz.

Though the exact chain of events is still being pieced together, witnesses say Lewis, who had lived in the three-story residence off and on, instigated an altercation with a house painter working on the home next door before leaving to confront Davis.

He then allegedly returned with a 2x4, and continued his assault on the painter and the owner of the neighboring residence.

Police arrived to find Lewis's body in the driveway, and it is believed he jumped to his death from the roof, a balcony, or a nearby six-foot wall.

Davis, a realtor who often rented rooms to actors, was found inside the home; her death was attributed to blunt force trauma.

TMZ claims law enforcement sources told the site Lewis was on either PCP or meth during the incident, and had been recently released from jail after being booked on unspecified charges.

VH1 notes that Lewis was romantically linked to a pre-fame Katy Perry back in 2006.

UPDATE: On Twitter, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter called Lewis "an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way," and said he was "deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path."

He added: "Yes, it's [a] day [of] mourning, but it's also a day of awareness and gratitude. sadly, some of us carry the message by dying."

[photo via Getty]