The cold case of Brian Watson, whose remains were discovered along Interstate 93 South in Manchester in 1984, has closed after his killer pleaded guilty in court.
In 2022, Michael Lewis was arrested and indicted for first-degree murder for killing 23-year-old Watson. On Wednesday in Boston’s Suffolk Superior Court, Lewis, 65, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, one for Watson’s murder and one for another homicide in 1993.
In uncovering what happened to Watson, who was last seen in July of 1984, investigators determined he’d been shot by Lewis and a second man, both of whom were entwined with the drug trade in South Boston. After killing Watson, they transported his body to where it was discovered by the highway, about 40 feet from the road.
Watson’s mother reported his disappearance in July 1984, and his body was found on Sept. 16 that same year by a passerby. Dental records facilitated the identification of the remains.
The investigation was carried out as a joint effort between the state’s Cold Case Unit, the State Police Major Crime Unit, the Manchester Police Department and the Boston Police Department.
“This resolution stands as a testament to the determination of investigators who refused to let time stand in the way of justice,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. “Nearly 40 years after Brian Watson was killed, his family can finally have some measure of closure. We are deeply grateful to our partners in Massachusetts and New Hampshire who never stopped working toward this outcome.”
For more information on New Hampshire’s cold cases, visit www.doj.nh.gov/bureaus/new-hampshire-cold-case-unit.