Mistrial Declared for Man Charged with Killing Weymouth Police Officer, Bystander
DEDHAM – A mistrial was declared on Monday in the trial of Emanuel Lopes, the man charged with killing Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and innocent bystander Vera Adams back in 2018.
The Norfolk Superior Court jury in Dedham deliberated for days after receiving the case late last month, but could not reach a unanimous decision on whether Lopes is a murderer or mentally ill.
“Jurors, I’m in receipt of your note. Your service is complete. I’m declaring a mistrial,” said Judge Beverly Cannone.
Chesna’s widow, Cindy, broke down in tears in the courtroom after the judge’s announcement. A new trial with a new jury will begin on July 21.
Lopes, 24, faced a total of 11 charges in the horrific attack on July 15, 2018. He was hoping to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, while prosecutors were seeking two life sentences.
According to police, Lopes was involved in a minor car crash near South Shore Hospital that day and fled the scene. Chesna later found him throwing rocks at a home in Weymouth and confronted him. Prosecutors alleged that Lopes threw a rock the size of half a basketball at Chesna’s head, knocking him to the ground.
Prosecutor Greg Connor stated that Lopes then took the officer’s gun and “fired it eight times into his head and into his chest.”
After shooting Chesna, Lopes allegedly shot at two responding officers and then fired three shots at 77-year-old Vera Adams as she stood by her window, watching him run away. Connor claimed that Lopes was deliberately trying to kill a witness.
Lopes’s defense attorney, Larry Tipton, argued that his client has struggled with mental illness for years, which was exacerbated by chronic marijuana use. Tipton stated that Lopes had a history of self-harm and frequent hospitalizations, with no evidence to suggest that he was faking his condition.
During their deliberations, the jurors examined over 100 exhibits and thousands of pages of medical documents. The jury was empaneled in Worcester to ensure an impartial jury and was transported to the courthouse by bus for the trial, which lasted nearly two hours each day. Two days after receiving the case, an alternate had to replace a juror with a prior commitment, and the deliberations had to start again.
The mistrial has left the community and the families of the victims in a state of uncertainty and frustration. The new trial will provide another opportunity for justice to be served, but it also means reliving the painful events of that tragic day in 2018.
The WBZ News team will continue to follow this case closely and provide updates as they become available.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.Mistrial Declared for Man Charged with Killing Weymouth Police Officer, Bystander
DEDHAM – A mistrial was declared on Monday in the trial of Emanuel Lopes, the man charged with killing Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and innocent bystander Vera Adams back in 2018.
The Norfolk Superior Court jury in Dedham deliberated for days after receiving the case late last month, but could not reach a unanimous decision on whether Lopes is a murderer or mentally ill.
“Jurors, I’m in receipt of your note. Your service is complete. I’m declaring a mistrial,” said Judge Beverly Cannone.
Chesna’s widow, Cindy, broke down in tears in the courtroom after the judge’s announcement. A new trial with a new jury will begin on July 21.
Lopes, 24, faced a total of 11 charges in the horrific attack on July 15, 2018. He was hoping to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, while prosecutors were seeking two life sentences.
According to police, Lopes was involved in a minor car crash near South Shore Hospital that day and fled the scene. Chesna later found him throwing rocks at a home in Weymouth and confronted him. Prosecutors alleged that Lopes threw a rock the size of half a basketball at Chesna’s head, knocking him to the ground.
Prosecutor Greg Connor stated that Lopes then took the officer’s gun and “fired it eight times into his head and into his chest.”
After shooting Chesna, Lopes allegedly shot at two responding officers and then fired three shots at 77-year-old Vera Adams as she stood by her window, watching him run away. Connor claimed that Lopes was deliberately trying to kill a witness.
Lopes’s defense attorney, Larry Tipton, argued that his client has struggled with mental illness for years, which was exacerbated by chronic marijuana use. Tipton stated that Lopes had a history of self-harm and frequent hospitalizations, with no evidence to suggest that he was faking his condition.
During their deliberations, the jurors examined over 100 exhibits and thousands of pages of medical documents. The jury was empaneled in Worcester to ensure an impartial jury and was transported to the courthouse by bus for the trial. Two days after receiving the case, an alternate had to replace a juror with a prior commitment, causing the deliberations to start again.
The mistrial has left the community and the families of the victims in a state of uncertainty and frustration. The upcoming retrial will provide another opportunity for justice to be served, but it also means reliving the painful memories of that tragic day in 2018.
The WBZ News team will continue to follow this case closely and provide updates as they become available.
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What were the key arguments made by the defense regarding Lopes’s mental illness and marijuana use during the trial?
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The trial centered around the events of July 15, 2018, when Lopes allegedly killed Sgt. Michael Chesna and bystander Vera Adams. According to police, Lopes was involved in a car crash and fled the scene. Chesna later encountered Lopes throwing rocks at a home and approached him. Prosecutors claimed that Lopes threw a large rock at Chesna, knocking him down, before taking the officer’s gun and shooting him multiple times.
After shooting Chesna, Lopes allegedly fired shots at two responding officers and then shot Adams, who was watching him from her window. Prosecutors argued that Lopes was intentionally targeting Adams as a witness.
During the trial, Lopes’s defense attorney argued that his client had a history of mental illness and that his condition was worsened by marijuana use. The defense claimed that there was no evidence to suggest that Lopes was faking his condition.
The jury deliberated for several days, examining numerous exhibits and documents. However, they were unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether Lopes was guilty of murder or mentally ill. As a result, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial.
The mistrial has left the community and the families of the victims in a state of uncertainty and frustration. A new trial with a new jury is scheduled to begin on July 21, providing another opportunity for justice to be served.
The WBZ News team will continue to provide updates on this case as they become available.
