Mistrial declared in Weymouth double-murder trial; new trial date sought

DEDHAM − The day began on Monday with Dedham Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone reading the jury in the Emanuel Lopes double-murder trial the so-called "dynamite charge." Cannone told the jurors to resume deliberating, and that no other jury would have an easier time making a decision.

Less than an hour later, after more than 24 hours of deliberations over six days, the jurors sent back a note saying they were deadlocked. Cannone called them back into the courtroom.

"Your service is completed," she told them. "I'm declaring a mistrial."

Lopes, 25, of Brockton, is charged with killing Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna and Weymouth resident Vera Adams, and faces a new trial at a date to be determined.

More: After mistrial, what comes next in the Weymouth double-murder case?

Read the latest on the mistrial: Man accused of killing two in Weymouth knows the date of his second trial: What to know

Chesna's widow, Cindy, broke into tears, sobbing loudly, when the decision was announced Monday and was quickly escorted from the courtroom by family and friends. The Chesna family declined to comment as they left the courthouse.

One way a mistrial occurs is when the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision. That means the trial can start all over again with a new jury. This trial had 14 days of testimony.

The district attorney will seek a new trial, Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor told the judge, and a meeting has been scheduled for July 21 to look at possible dates. A new trial will not violate the constitutional prohibition on "double jeopardy" because no verdict was reached.

"We're extremely disappointed," Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller said. "No family should have to endure what this family has had to. We are steadfast in our resolve to bring this case to justice and we will have justice for Sgt. Chesna and Vera Adams."

Fuller and Richard Grimes, who was chief when Chesna was killed, have been in court daily along with other police officers awaiting a verdict.

Lopes was facing 11 charges in connection with the July 15, 2018, shooting deaths of Chesna and Adams.

His defense lawyer argued that he suffered from mental illness and his condition had worsened that day. Lopes was in "a state of oblivion" during the encounters with Chesna and Adams, the lawyer, Larry Tipton, said during his closing statement.

The jury of nine women and three men from Worcester County began deliberations a month after they heard opening arguments.

The 11 counts Lopes was charged with

Lopes was charged with:

• Murder in the death of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna.

• Murder in the death of Vera Adams.

• Armed assault with intent to murder involving a firearm (two counts).

• Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a rock).

• Larceny of a firearm.

• Carrying a firearm without an FID card.

• Use of a motor vehicle without authority.

• Negligent driving.

• Leaving the scene of a collision causing property damage.

• Malicious destruction of property (throwing a rock at a window on Burton Terrace).

What prison sentence might Lopes have faced?

Lopes was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of first-degree murder.

He was accused of attacking Chesna while fleeing a minor car accident.

Connor said Lopes hit Chesna in the head with the rock from 10 to 12 feet away. Lopes then took Chesna's gun, fired it once at his police cruiser and four times at the officer, and then at two other officers who were arriving, authorities say.

Lopes then fired three shots at Adams, who was standing on her sunporch, Connor said.

Police said Lopes was still holding Chesna’s gun when he was stopped and arrested on Torrey Street. There was no ammunition left in the gun, prosecutors have said, and Lopes got on the ground as ordered by police. State troopers used Chesna's handcuffs to restrain Lopes after his arrest.

Lopes was indicted by a Norfolk County grand jury in September 2018 in connection with the deaths of Chesna and Adams. He has been held without bail since.

Who were Vera Adams and Sgt. Michael Chesna?

Chesna, a 42-year-old married father of two, graduated in 1994 from Weymouth High School. He served with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

He joined the Weymouth Police Department in 2012.

A bridge that carries Weymouth's Main Street, Route 18, over the commuter rail tracks was dedicated as the Sgt. Michael C. Chesna First Responders Bridge upon its completion in 2022. The gymnasium at Weymouth's Chapman Middle School was also named in his honor. Hanover, where he lived, honored Chesna in 2022 by renaming its street hockey rink the Sergeant Michael C. Chesna Memorial Rink.

Adams was remembered by a neighbor in 2018 as "a very good neighbor with a great smile." The 77-year-old widow had few remaining family members, but friends and members of the community stopped by her home after her death to drop flowers on the steps. Her obituary mentioned her love of reading, dinners with friends and trips to Cape Cod. A reading room at Weymouth's Tufts Library was dedicated in her memory.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Judge declares mistrial in Weymouth murder trial of Emanuel Lopes