The trial for a man accused of attacking a Massachusetts police officer and killing him with his own gun and then fatally shooting a bystander in her own home is set to begin Thursday.
Emanuel Lopes was indicted on murder charges in September 2018 in the deaths of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna and Vera Adams.
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Police say Chesna, 42, was responding to a call for an erratic driver on July 15, 2018, and found Lopes, who was 20 at the time, vandalizing a home. Chesna approached with his gun drawn to try to arrest the suspect. Lopes then allegedly attacked Chesna with a rock, hitting him in the head, then took the gun and shot him 10 times in the head, chest and legs.
Chesna left behind a wife and young daughter and son.
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Adams, 77, who lived nearby, was also killed during incident. Investigators said she was in her sunroom when Lopes saw her as he fled, firing several shots in her direction.
Other responding officers shot Lopes in the leg. He was later arrested in his hospital bed.
Lopes' mother has said that her son had a history of mental health problems and that she had tried to get him help in the past, but that the system failed them.
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A jury has been selected from a pool of residents from Worcester County, though the trial will take place in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. Lopes faces murder charges.
