A Massachusetts man was sentenced to consecutive life terms on Wednesday for the murders of a police officer and a bystander, following poignant testimonies from family members and colleagues highlighting the profound impact of the crimes.
Emanuel Lopes, now 26, was fleeing the scene of a minor car accident on July 15, 2018, when prosecutors said he attacked the responding officer, Sgt. Michael Chesna, 42, by throwing a large rock at his head.
The rock rendered Chesna unconscious, and Lopes then seized the officer’s gun, shooting him multiple times, according to prosecutors. Lopes continued his escape and fatally shot 77-year-old Vera Adams, who was sitting on her porch, before fleeing. When apprehended, authorities noted that Chesna’s service weapon was empty.
Lopes was convicted earlier this year on multiple charges, including murder. Wednesday’s sentences mean Lopes will be eligible for parole in 40 years, less than the 55 years sought by prosecutors.
This was Lopes’ second trial after Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial last year due to a deadlocked jury. The new jury also struggled to reach a unanimous verdict but was directed by Cannone to continue deliberations.
During the second trial, prosecutor Greg Connor depicted Lopes as a deliberate killer, seeking convictions on 11 charges.
The defense contended that Lopes, who had no prior criminal record, was not criminally responsible due to a long history of mental illness and was in “a state of oblivion” at the time of the killings.
Before his sentencing, Lopes addressed the court, apologizing to the victims’ families and the Weymouth police department. “I am so sorry. This should never have happened,” he said.
Two retired Weymouth officers who responded that day recounted their heartbreak over Chesna’s death and the enduring impact on their lives.
“The image of the defendant standing over Mike, shooting him repeatedly, is forever ingrained in my mind. The daily flashbacks are something that no one should have to endure,” Nicholas Marini told the court.
“These horrific memories continue to haunt my dreams even six years later,” Marini continued. “I have been forever changed as a husband, a father, and a friend.”
Chesna’s widow, Cindy, read letters from her two children about missing their father and shared her struggles to rebuild their lives after losing her husband, whom she described as a hero and “a beautiful person inside and out.”
“They will always live with grief that I can’t fix and pain that I cannot heal,” she said, standing before family photos. “But I can ask the court to give them the only thing I can — the comfort of knowing the monster who murdered their daddy will never walk free.”
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Lopes’ attorney, Larry Tipton, urged the court to consider Lopes’ mental illness, requesting concurrent sentences of 25 years for Chesna’s murder and 15 years for Adams’ killing. He emphasized that this request was not intended to “degrade or take away from the personal and honest beliefs and feelings of the family and of the victims.”
