LATEST UPDATES FROM COURT:
Opening arguments in trial of man charged in Sgt. Chesna's deathWATCH LIVE: Opening arguments underway in trial of man accused of killing Weymouth police sergeant, innocent bystander.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Thursday, June 8, 2023
The judge is explaining to jury that the DA will have to prove Lopes knew what he was doing and he understood what he was doing to prove the 1st degree murder charges. DA Michael Morrissey is also in courtroom.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) June 8, 2023
We also learned how a @HinghamPolice officer, who went to the scene on his own, is the one who found Vera Adams shot to death in her sunroom. The officer went to get his cell phone and walked and saw three bullet holes in the glass. Adams was inside on the floor.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) June 8, 2023
The attorney says Lopes had been prescribed medications and sometimes went off of them because he felt like he was getting sicker.
— Robert Goulston (@rgoulston) June 8, 2023
PREVIOUS REPORTING:
WEYMOUTH, Mass. -- The murder trial for the man accused of killing Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna and a 77-year-old woman is set to begin Thursday.
The suspect, Emanuel Lopes, allegedly used Chesna’s own gun to fatally shoot both victims five years ago.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office says the jury pool was selected in Worcester since so many people in Norfolk County are familiar with and know about the shooting. The trial itself is expected to last about four weeks.
The witness list includes more than four dozen names, including Weymouth police officers, medical personnel, and residents, according to The Boston Globe.
It was the early morning of July 15, 2018, and it was almost the end of Chesna’s shift when police were searching for Lopes, who left the scene of a car crash. Chesna was the first to confront him.
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Lopes allegedly threw a large rock at Chesna, hitting him and causing him to fall to the ground. Lopes then allegedly used Chesna’s gun to fatally shoot him and Vera Adams, who just happened to be sitting in her sun room drinking coffee. Lopes was arrested shortly after.
Lopes faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on the first-degree murder charges.
Police say they’ve had run-ins with Lopes before. Court records also indicate Lopes has struggled with bipolar disorder and his mother claimed he was not taking his medications when the alleged murder happened.
He was sent to two different treatment centers in 2017, according to court records.
It’s unclear if Lopes will be entering an insanity defense.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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