Murderer or mentally ill? Jury struggles with fate of man charged in Weymouth police officer death
DEDHAM - The jury has now gone four days without reaching a verdict in the case against Emanuel Lopes, who's accused of killing Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and innocent bystander Vera Adams.
However, an alternate juror replaced another juror who left due to a prior commitment, so Thursday was technically day two of deliberations because they had to start all over again on Wednesday.
"Each of you must decide the case for yourself," Judge Beverly Connone instructed the jury, "but do so only after an impartial consideration of the evidence with your fellow jurors."
Lopes is accused of shooting and killing Chesna with his own service gun after throwing a rock at him back in 2018. Chesna had confronted Lopes after he allegedly fled the scene of a car crash. Lopes then allegedly shot and killed 77-year-old Adams as she stood in the window of her home. Lopes's defense has portrayed him as mentally ill and going through a psychotic break at the time of the killings.
Legal analyst Phil Tracy said there's clearly a struggle in the jury room over whether Lopes is mentally ill or a murderer.
"There's obviously some tremendous pressure internally," said Tracy. "That says one group is probably saying, this guy is insane. Another said, no he isn't. He's crazy but he knew what he was doing."
Juror questions have largely centered on access to transcripts from mental health experts who testified. Tracy said that can be a problem for a group of people without expertise.
"The jurors are really trying to understand the mental health issue," said Tracy. "The question is this - they're just lay people, so it's really hard to understand the doctor talk."
The defense is asking that Lopes be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
"The jury is a competent jury, they're taking it seriously, the issue of mental illness and insanity," said Tracy.
