Emanuel Lopes: Court erupts in cheers after Massachusetts man found guilty of killing cop and bystander
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS: On Friday, February 16, a Massachusetts man accused of murdering a police officer and an innocent bystander in July 2018 was found guilty of several charges, including murder.
This marked Emanuel Lopes' second trial, following a mistrial declared by Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone last year due to a hung jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict, as per Boston news.
The courtroom erupted in cheers and applause when the guilty verdict by the jury was read on Friday.
Lopes had fired shots that fatally wounded Weymouth police Sgt Michael Chesna, 42, a military veteran and father of two, along with bystander Vera Adams, a 77-year-old widow.
What did prosecutor Greg Connor say?
Prosecutor Greg Connor said Lopes is a calculating killer and should be found guilty of 11 charges.
The defense argued that Lopes is not responsible because he has a long history of mental illness and was not aware of his actions on the day of the killings.
Lopes was running away from a minor car crash, and Chesna was investigating.
Prosecutors say Lopes hit the officer with a large rock, making him unconscious, then took his gun and shot him many times in the chest and head.
As he ran away, Lopes shot Adams, who was on her porch. When he was caught, Chesna’s gun was empty, authorities said.
What did the victim’s family say?
The families of the victims came to court for both trials. Some of them spoke on Friday about feeling relieved after the guilty verdict was reached, saying it felt like a big burden was lifted off their shoulders after six long years.
Cindy Chesna, Sgt Chesna's widow said she was glad her husband got the justice he deserved. The jury deliberated for about a week, starting last Thursday.
There was no court on Tuesday due to a nor'easter. Earlier on Friday, Judge Beverly Cannone rejected a request from the defendant's lawyers for another mistrial and told the jury to continue deliberating.
In the original trial in July, Cannone had declared a mistrial because the jury couldn't agree on a verdict after three weeks of testimony and several days of deliberation as per NBC10 Boston.
Emmanuel Lopes' ex-firlfriend testifies during trial
During the first trial, the jury visited places in Weymouth where the shootings happened.
They went to the Queen Anne's Gate Apartments, the intersection of Main Street and Columbian Street, and Burton Terrace.
Witnesses talked about seeing a person driving a white BMW on the morning of July 15, 2018.
Lopes' ex-girlfriend, Mary Cronin, spoke during the trial about their troubled relationship. She mentioned worries about his infidelity and instability.
Sometimes, she said she helped him with things like buying clothes, food, and a phone, driving him to interviews and work, and letting him sleep in her car.
Cronin said she noticed Lopes was more upset and angry when he had problems with homelessness.
She confirmed that Lopes talked about strange ideas, like believing people in the government were Martians and that history was wrong and needed to be rewritten.
She said his symptoms got worse around July 2018.
When they got back together in the summer of 2018, she told Lopes she had slept with a former friend. That friend was the man who called Lopes shortly before the shootings that killed Chesna and Adams.
