Man gets life for 2022 murder at a Dorchester hall

A Suffolk Superior Court judge today sentenced Dwight "Dog Bite" Watson to life, but with the possibility of parole after 18 years, after he admitted stabbing Urvin Gerald, 58, in the parking lot of the Mount Horeb Lodge on Harvard Street in Dorchester on July 16, 2022.

Watson, 58, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder yesterday; had he gone to trial for first-degree murder, he would have faced life without the chance of parole if found guilty.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, Watson, a regular at the lodge, and Gerald got into a fight around 1 a.m. Lodge security separated the two and escorted Watson out.

About 30 minutes later, Gerald exited the rear of the lodge. In the parking area, Watson suddenly appeared and stabbed Gerald in the neck, and then fled. The stabbing was caught on surveillance video.

Investigators soon learned that Watson had fled the state. On January 27, 2023, Watson was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Ohio. Watson was returned to Boston by members of the Boston Police fugitive unit.

Prosecutors read two victim impact statements from Gerald’s family members, who attended today’s sentencing.

“The senseless act of violence that took Urvin’s life has caused an unimaginable emotional hardship. Since that day, the world no longer feels whole. The repercussions extend far beyond the immediate tragedy. Our grief is constant, and we are left to navigate a life without the man who was our anchor,” Gerald’s wife said in a statement.