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,”

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