A South Boston man accepted a plea deal for the killings of two men in 1984 and 1993 and will serve 15 years, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday — a conclusion one victim’s daughter called the “coward’s way out.”
Michael Lewis, 65, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the homicides of 22-year-old Brian Watson in July of 1984 and his boss at the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit, William Villani, 46, in April of 1993. Lewis originally pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
“Every birthday I have is overshadowed by the memory of what you did, what would have been celebrations forever marked by grief, pain and loss,” said Jessica, who said her father, Watson, was killed on her third birthday.
“While you lived your life for years, we lived with the emptiness you created,” she added. “We carried the weight of what you did. When you were finally charged, you took a plea deal instead of facing us in court.”
Jessica called it the “coward’s way out.”
Judge Mary Ames sentenced Lewis to 15 years in Souza Baranowski Correctional Center for each murder, to be served concurrently, with just under 3 and a half years of time served.
The courtroom was full Wednesday of investigators involved over the decades and the extensive Watson family, some of whom cried audibly through the proceedings. Lewis attended in person, sitting in a wheelchair, giving little expression and declining to address the court.
The first murder took place around July 16 or 17 of 1984, when a drug dealer in the South Boston scene enlisted Lewis’ help to go intimidate a rival dealer, according to prosecutors.
“While looking for him, Lewis and Richards ran into Brian Watson, who, like the original drug dealer, was also involved in the sale of angel dust,” said Suffolk ADA John Verner. “Richards and Lewis suspected that Watson might know where that drug dealer they’re looking for.”
Watson climbed in the back seat, then Lewis turned, pointed a firearm and shot and killed Watson “at Richard’s suggestion,” Verner said. The two men then drove north and dumped Watson’s body just beyond the tree line along I-93 in Manchester, New Hampshire, where a couple would find him months later.
Around April 16, 1993, Lewis killed again, this time his boss when he worked for the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit, William Villani. By some accounts, Verner said, the defendant was upset with Villani after he ordered Lewis to return to work from a lengthy excused absence.
On April 17, Villani’s fiancé reported him missing, and police found his body in a pool of blood in his office in the basement of Two Sterling Square. He’d been shot once in the cheek, beaten and stabbed multiple times. A bag of pesticide was placed on his body.
“Over the years, rumors and uncorroborated information pointed to the defendant as the person responsible for William Villani’s death,” said Verner. “It was also believed that a person by the name of Mr. Mercier was also involved.”
The first break in the cases came in 2011, when the drug dealer Richards entered into a cooperation agreement to provide information against the defendant. Richards gave information on both murders but it was deemed “not enough information to go forward,” Verner said.
Then in 2022, a man named John Sacco facing tax evasion and money laundering charges told investigators that “on numerous occasions the defendant bragged to him about killing Brian Watson in 1984 and William Villani in 1993.”
Sacco offered a tape recording of Lewis admitting to both crimes, aiming to reduce his sentences.
The third alleged witness, Mercier, was subpoenaed but killed himself before he could testify.
Verner said Wednesday, the Commonwealth’s plea deal and 15 year sentencing recommendation had nothing to do with what “what Michael Lewis deserves or what he should get in a perfect world.”
“In this case, after 41 years and 32 years respectively, the Commonwealth has confronted unique challenges that are not always applicable in cases that we try on modern day,” Verner said, citing issues with the loss of investigators, with Richards’s testimony and the “biggest problem” with the credibility and cooperation of the main witness John Sacco.
Verner said he hoped the conclusion would provide a “semblance of justice and some closure” and that at nearly 80 years old and in poor physical health, Lewis should not be a danger to the community after his release.
Several members of Watson’s family offered testimony, including his fiancé, sisters, niece, and brother. They called the young father a “good and caring man,” said he had the “biggest heart and cared deeply for his family” and remembered he would “fill every room with laughter and love” and “dance and sing and play with all the kids.”
“When Brian was killed, I not only lost the man I love, I lost the future we were supposed to share,” said his fiancé Maureen Watson. “My daughter lost her father. He would have been the best dad and awesome grandfather to her two boys.”
Defense attorney James Sultan said his client “has accepted his responsibility.”
“He had every right to go to trial and fight these charges,” said Sultan. “Both cases were seriously flawed, and there is no telling what the result of those trials would have been, but I think he stepped up and took responsibility. And I think that says a lot for for his state of mind.”
In her sentencing decision, Judge Ames noted it “very clear in dealing what we’ve referred to as a cold case, victims are never forgotten.”
“Cases like this, you come into court, and I hope we can give you some measure of justice,” said Ames before accepting the sentencing recommendation. “But there is no closure. My wish for you is that we are able to provide you some measure of peace.”
