Topline: Michael Lewis confesses to unsolved murders; prosecutors cite possible Whitey Bulger link.
Published: December 4, 2025 3:06 pm ET
Must Read
Left: Michael Lewis, Right: Whitey Bulger (via New Hampshire Attorney General's Office; Bureau of Prisons/Getty)
BOSTON — Michael Lewis, 65, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, resolving two decades-old homicide cases — one of which prosecutors say may be linked to Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.
Lewis entered the plea on Nov. 5, in connection with the killings of Brian Watson in 1984 and William Villani in 1993, as per a press release by Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The resolution of the cases was first reported by People magazine.
Lewis was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year prison terms. The pleas close investigations that left the victims’ families without answers for over 30 years.
In the 1984 case, prosecutors said Lewis and another man were involved in the South Boston drug trade and sought to eliminate a rival dealer. They approached Watson and asked him to lead them to the target.
Watson agreed and got into the back seat of their car. Lewis then turned from the front seat and shot Watson, prosecutors said. His body was later dumped off Interstate 93 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Authorities suspect Watson’s death may be linked to James “Whitey” Bulger. Bulger led Boston’s Winter Hill Gang in the 1980s and 1990s while secretly serving as an FBI informant.
The Winter Hill Gang was an Irish-American crime syndicate based in Massachusetts. Founded in the 1950s, it operated for decades running gambling, loansharking and drug rackets that stretched as far as South Florida.
Lewis’s attorney has denied any ties between his client and Bulger, NBC 10 reported.
Bulger was serving a life sentence for racketeering when he was killed in federal prison in 2018. His story was dramatized in the 2015 film “Black Mass” starring Johnny Depp.
Nearly a decade later, Lewis killed Villani, 46, his supervisor at the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit. Prosecutors said Lewis became angry after being ordered back to work following a lengthy excused absence.
Villani was found dead in his office, beaten, stabbed and shot. A bag of pesticide had been placed on his body, according to prosecutors.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the plea offers long-awaited closure.
“I’m grateful that family members of Brian Watson and William Villani finally have answers, after so many years with no answers, about what happened to their loved ones and who was responsible,” Hayden said in a statement.
The district attorney’s office said investigators spent years piecing together evidence to prosecute the cold cases. Their work led to Lewis’s guilty plea in court. He was ordered to serve his sentence in state prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Boston Man Pleads Guilty in Cold Case Mob Era Killings
Michael Lewis confesses to unsolved murders; prosecutors cite possible Whitey Bulger link.
By Kate Byrd
Published: December 4, 2025 3:06 pm ET
Left: Michael Lewis, Right: Whitey Bulger (via New Hampshire Attorney General's Office; Bureau of Prisons/Getty)
BOSTON — Michael Lewis, 65, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, resolving two decades-old homicide cases — one of which prosecutors say may be linked to Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.
Lewis entered the plea on Nov. 5, in connection with the killings of Brian Watson in 1984 and William Villani in 1993, as per a press release by Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The resolution of the cases was first reported by People magazine.
Lewis was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year prison terms. The pleas close investigations that left the victims’ families without answers for over 30 years.
In the 1984 case, prosecutors said Lewis and another man were involved in the South Boston drug trade and sought to eliminate a rival dealer. They approached Watson and asked him to lead them to the target.
Watson agreed and got into the back seat of their car. Lewis then turned from the front seat and shot Watson, prosecutors said. His body was later dumped off Interstate 93 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Authorities suspect Watson’s death may be linked to James “Whitey” Bulger. Bulger led Boston’s Winter Hill Gang in the 1980s and 1990s while secretly serving as an FBI informant.
The Winter Hill Gang was an Irish-American crime syndicate based in Massachusetts. Founded in the 1950s, it operated for decades running gambling, loansharking and drug rackets that stretched as far as South Florida.
Lewis’s attorney has denied any ties between his client and Bulger, NBC 10 reported.
Bulger was serving a life sentence for racketeering when he was killed in federal prison in 2018. His story was dramatized in the 2015 film “Black Mass” starring Johnny Depp.
Nearly a decade later, Lewis killed Villani, 46, his supervisor at the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit. Prosecutors said Lewis became angry after being ordered back to work following a lengthy excused absence.
Villani was found dead in his office, beaten, stabbed and shot. A bag of pesticide had been placed on his body, according to prosecutors.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the plea offers long-awaited closure.
“I’m grateful that family members of Brian Watson and William Villani finally have answers, after so many years with no answers, about what happened to their loved ones and who was responsible,” Hayden said in a statement.
The district attorney’s office said investigators spent years piecing together evidence to prosecute the cold cases. Their work led to Lewis’s guilty plea in court. He was ordered to serve his sentence in state prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Boston Man Pleads Guilty in Cold Case Mob Era Killings
Michael Lewis confesses to unsolved murders; prosecutors cite possible Whitey Bulger link.
By Kate Byrd
Published: December 4, 2025 3:06 pm ET
Left: Michael Lewis, Right: Whitey Bulger (via New Hampshire Attorney General's Office; Bureau of Prisons/Getty)
BOSTON — Michael Lewis, 65, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, resolving two decades-old homicide cases — one of which prosecutors say may be linked to Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.
Lewis entered the plea on Nov. 5, in connection with the killings of Brian Watson in 1984 and William Villani in 1993, as per a press release by Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The resolution of the cases was first reported by People magazine.
Lewis was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year prison terms. The pleas close investigations that left the victims’ families without answers for over 30 years.
In the 1984 case, prosecutors said Lewis and another man were involved in the South Boston drug trade and sought to eliminate a rival dealer. They approached Watson and asked him to lead them to the target.
Watson agreed and got into the back seat of their car. Lewis then turned from the front seat and shot Watson, prosecutors said. His body was later dumped off Interstate 93 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Authorities suspect Watson’s death may be linked to James “Whitey” Bulger. Bulger led Boston’s Winter Hill Gang in the 1980s and 1990s while secretly serving as an FBI informant.
The Winter Hill Gang was an Irish-American crime syndicate based in Massachusetts. Founded in the 1950s, it operated for decades running gambling, loansharking and drug rackets that stretched as far as South Florida.
Lewis’s attorney has denied any ties between his client and Bulger, NBC 10 reported.
Bulger was serving a life sentence for racketeering when he was killed in federal prison in 2018. His story was dramatized in the 2015 film “Black Mass” starring Johnny Depp.
Nearly a decade later, Lewis killed Villani, 46, his supervisor at the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit. Prosecutors said Lewis became angry after being ordered back to work following a lengthy excused absence.
Villani was found dead in his office, beaten, stabbed and shot. A bag of pesticide had been placed on his body, according to prosecutors.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the plea offers long-awaited closure.
“I’m grateful that family members of Brian Watson and William Villani finally have answers, after so many years with no answers, about what happened to their loved ones and who was responsible,” Hayden said in a statement.
The district attorney’s office said investigators spent years piecing together evidence to prosecute the cold cases. Their work led to Lewis’s guilty plea in court. He was ordered to serve his sentence in state prison.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
