Johnny Lewis spent time in jail before murder of 81-year-old

Actor Johnny Lewis, who Los Angeles police say killed 81-year-old Catherine Davis before falling to his death on Wednesday, had previously spent time in jail on violent offenses. 

The "Sons of Anarchy" actor received sentences of significant jail time from two separate offenses in August but was released on September 21, less than a week before his death, reports the Los Angeles Times. 

He pleaded no contest to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon on August 8th was sentenced to one year in jail, a district attorney's office spokeswoman told the LA Times. A week later he again pleaded no contest to a burglary charge in separate case and received 291 days in jail.

It is not clear why Lewis was released after serving only a fraction of his sentence. 

TMZ reports that Lewis was ordered to complete a rehab program for "treatment of mental health and/or drugs and alcohol" stemming from his assault conviction.

Lewis is the sole suspect in the murder of 81-year-old Davis after an altercation at her home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz.

Lewis was found dead in the driveway from an apparent fall.

The Los Angeles County coroner's officials told the Los Angeles Times that Davis "died of blunt head trauma and strangulation."

Authorities said Lewis may have been under the influence of drugs, possibly the street drug 2C-I. Several sources said he also suffered from mental health issues.

Attorney Jonathan Mandel, who represented Lewis in two of his criminal cases, told E! News that it was clear clear "he was delusional." 

"I did recommend in both of his cases that he get a treatment option," Mandel told E!. "He clearly had delusions."

 "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter tweeted that Lewis had "lost his way". 

 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 or mourning, but it's also a day of awareness and gratitude. sadly, some of us carry the message by dying.