DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A new trial date has been set for a man accused of killing both a Weymouth police sergeant and a bystander in 2018 after a judge previously declared a mistrial.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said it would retry the case against Emanuel Lopes after a hung jury was dismissed on July 10 following a week of deliberation. A new trial is now scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.
Lopes, 25, originally faced 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 made an insanity plea, arguing that Lopes was experiencing a mental breakdown at the time of the shooting and was not legally responsible for what he did.
Following their dismissal, the jury’s foreperson described to 7NEWS how a lone holdout would not be swayed during deliberations and that all jurors except the one agreed on a guilty verdict for Lopes.
Despite the frustration from Chesna’s family and colleagues, prosecutors will try the case again, starting in October with jury selection preparations.
“We’re looking forward to January,” said Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller. “We just met with the family. Their resolve is stronger than ever and we’re looking forward to a more positive result.”
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