A ruling from the state’s highest court delayed the sentencing for the man convicted in the murders of a Weymouth police sergeant and an innocent bystander.
It will take a few more months for Emanuel Lopes to be sentenced for murdering a police sergeant and an elderly woman in Weymouth, Massachusetts, six years ago.
On Friday, days before he was due to be sentenced for charges of first- and second-degree murder, the judge in the case agreed to move the hearing back.
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"I understand that this case has been going on for such a long time," Judge Beverly Cannone said, noting that the families of the victims had to go through two trials for a jury to render a verdict for Lopes, after a mistrial in the first one last year.
Cannone said that she had to be sure the sentencing would follow proper legal procedure: "Everybody worked so hard on this case, I don't want to cut corners."
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The sentencing was scheduled for March 19, but Lopes' attorney, Larry Tipton, had requested the delay, saying he needed more time to develop evidence before making an argument about parole eligibility. Prosecutors opposed moving the date back, noting in court that they had people who'd prepared to be in court next week.
"It's been a very long road," Chesna's widow, Cindy Chesna, said outside court Friday. She noted she was "absolutely" prepared to speak on Tuesday
The new sentencing date was tentatively set for June 21 — Cannone said she couldn't have it be before another big trial set to be heard in her court, the Karen Read case, which is due to begin April 16.
Chesna was found guilty last month of killing Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and 77-year-old Vera Adams. Both were shot and killed in July of 2018. The jury returned the guilty verdict after more than a week of deliberation, and Lopes now faces life in prison.
The extended legal process took a toll on the victims' families.
"We finally got the justice that he deserved," Cindy Chesna said at the time.
His first prosecution ended in a mistrial last July, when a jury could not decide whether Lopes should be convicted due to his history of mental illness.
Lopes attacked Chesna with a rock while being arrested for driving erratically and vandalizing a home. During a struggle with the police sergeant, Lopes took Chesna's gun and shot him eight times in the chest and head. Lopes then allegedly shot Adams, a 77-year-old who was nearby in her home's sunroom.
