A South Boston man has admitted responsibility for two long-unsolved killings that date back nearly four decades—one of which investigators believe may have been connected to infamous mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger. Michael Lewis, 65, entered a plea deal with prosecutors on Wednesday, pleading guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the 1984 and 1993 homicides, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities said Lewis first faced charges for the 1993 murder of 46-year-old William Villani, who was found dead inside his office at Two Sterling Square in South Boston. Villani, Lewis’s supervisor at the Boston Housing Authority’s Pest Control Unit, was discovered beaten, stabbed, and shot the day after he failed to return home from work on April 16, 1993. Lewis also confessed to killing Brian Watson, 23, whose body was discovered off Interstate 93 in Manchester, New Hampshire, in July 1984. Investigators believe Watson’s death stemmed from a drug-related dispute possibly linked to Bulger’s criminal network. During the sentencing hearing, Watson’s loved ones delivered powerful victim impact statements, describing the lingering pain caused by his loss. His fiancée recounted the dreams they shared before his life was “stolen” that tragic night, while his sister Jacqueline Carter spoke of a “profound pain” that has haunted their family for 41 years. Lewis, who was already serving time for Villani’s murder when charged with Watson’s killing in 2023, was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year prison terms at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.
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