Concord, NH – After nearly four decades, a 1984 New Hampshire cold case has finally been solved. Attorney General John M. Formella announced Wednesday that Michael Lewis, 65, of South Boston, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to two counts of manslaughter connected to killings in 1984 and 1993.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, one of the cases involved Brian Watson, 23, whose body was found off Interstate 93 in Manchester on September 16, 1984. He had been missing since mid-July that year and was identified through dental records.
Investigators determined that Lewis and another man, both tied to Boston’s South End drug trade, fatally shot Watson in Boston before transporting his body to New Hampshire. The case remained unsolved for decades despite steady progress by state and local agencies.
Renewed efforts by the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, Manchester Police, Boston Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office led to Lewis’s 2022 indictment for first-degree murder. Wednesday’s plea officially closes one of the state’s longest-running unsolved cases.
“This resolution stands as a testament to investigators who refused to let time stand in the way of justice,” Formella said. “Nearly forty years later, Brian Watson and his family can finally have some measure of closure.”
The New Hampshire Department of Justice has posted the full case summary online.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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