Officials allege murder-for-hire plot in cold case arrest of Mattapan man

Law enforcement officials announced Monday that they had made an arrest in connection to the murder of a woman in Cambridge in 1992. The killing was the result of a murder-for-hire plot involving the victim’s partner, they said. 

Edward Watson, 65, was arrested in Mattapan for the murder of Michelle Miller, who died at the age of 29, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a press conference. 

Miller, a former U.S. Army soldier and the mother of two, was last seen alive at the Prospect Buffet restaurant and bar in Central Square on July 28, 1992. Her body was discovered about two weeks later in the basement of a building located at 245 Washington St. after a neighbor complained about an odor. 

Authorities say Watson killed Miller in that basement at the behest of Daniel Innis, her abusive partner and the father of her children. Innis was sentenced to 15-20 years in state prison for an unrelated manslaughter charge in 1994. He died in 2012. 

After serving in the military, Miller had fallen on “hard times” by 1992, Ryan said. Innis, who was “jealous and violent,” was threatening to take the young children away from her. Miller disappeared the day after she told a social worker that she would be seeking a restraining order against Innis. 

Watson was described as an “associate” of Innis. Miller was found partially naked, with her face covered by a blanket in a building that Ryan described as “truly filthy.” As she was found only after a few weeks in the middle of the summer, it was not immediately apparent how Miller died, or if it was the result of a murder. Ryan did not comment on the cause of death when asked about it Monday. 

“It’s really a reminder, particularly at this time of year of the long-term impact of these kinds of crimes, and how they tear a family apart and the hole that they leave in those families,” Ryan said. 

The Cold Case Homicide Unit within Ryan’s office was able to find new information about the abuse Miller was subjected to and other relevant information through archived records from the Department of Social Services.

Watson was set to be arraigned Monday afternoon on one count of murder in Cambridge District Court. 

“This case is yet another example of the purpose of developing a cold case unit, which is that we do not forget what happens to people when they lose their life in Middlesex County, and that we will take every possible step to hold [people] accountable and today begins that journey of holding Mr. Watson accountable,” Ryan said. 

Ryan said she spoke with Miller’s son and daughter Monday, as well as her brother. She told them about the revelation of Miller’s death allegedly being connected to a murder-foor-hire plot involving Innis. The family did not know Innis was involved in Miller’s death, and the idea of a murder-for-hire plot was not explored in the initial investigation in 1992, according to Ryan. 

“It was completely new [to them],” Ryan said. “I think it’s fair to say, as we described it to them, it was very bittersweet.”

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