Disabled man found dead in N. Phila.

A DISABLED MAN was found dead Wednesday morning in his North Philadelphia home by a personal-care attendant, and authorities were not sure how he died.

The victim, identified by a friend as Robert James Lewis, 43, of Green Street near 11th, had severe diabetes and a genetic condition that caused his feet to be deformed, according to Heather DeRussy, 36, who runs a tavern on the same block.

"He was a really good guy," she said.

A Philadelphia police spokeswoman told the Inquirer that the case was suspicious, but authorities Wednesday night told the Daily News that the manner of death was unclear pending an autopsy set for Thursday.

DeRussy said that she and her brother, John, had befriended Lewis in the two years they had been living in the neighborhood. She described him as a friendly man who "didn't see the bad in people." She said that Lewis was almost blind and required an attendant at least three times a week.

A month ago, she said, Lewis "came running" into the bar with his cat and a duffel bag asking for help, saying that someone had pointed a gun at him.

DeRussy said that her brother stayed with Lewis that night. Since then, she said, friends had seen police talking with Lewis on several occasions.

She speculated that Lewis' disabilities and open personality could have made him a target. "He was too trusting," she said.