DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A hearing will be held on Friday to determine next steps after a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a man accused of killing a Weymouth police sergeant and a bystander in 2018.
After days of deliberations, the jury seated for the trial of Emmanuel Lopes was dismissed at Norfolk Superior Court. The 12-member jury deliberated throughout the previous week, but was unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Lopes, 25, was facing 11 counts that included charges related to the deaths of Sgt. Michael Chesna and another victim, 77-year-old Vera Adams.
Prosecutors say the then-20 year old had been wanted in connection with a crash in Weymouth the morning of July 15, 2018, when Sgt. Chesna confronted him. The prosecution detailed how Lopes hit Chesna with a rock and then murdered him with his own service firearm.
Other officers started chasing Lopes when he fired three more rounds – one of which fatally struck Adams while she was sitting in her sun porch.
Lopes’ legal team admitted he pulled the trigger, but had been claiming he was insane and not responsible legally for what he did.
Previously, jurors had told Judge Beverly Cannone repeatedly that they were “stuck,” with deliberations stalling on Friday before the jury was sent home early in the afternoon.
Days before that, a juror was excused from the case due to a pre-planned vacation, leading to an alternate being chosen at random Wednesday, restarting the deliberation process.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said it plans to retry the case.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)