A Massachusetts man has been found guilty of murder in the deaths of a police officer and elderly widow

Dedham, Mass. (AP) – A Massachusetts A man accused of killing a police officer and an innocent bystander in July 2018 was found guilty on Friday of multiple charges, including murder.

It was the second trial for Emmanuel Lopes after Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannon declared a mistrial last year when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

The new jury sent a note to Cannon earlier this week saying it had not reached a verdict, but the judge ordered jurors to continue deliberations.

When the guilty verdict was announced on Friday, the courtroom echoed with joy and applause.

Investigators said Lopes shot Weymouth police Sgt. 42-year-old Michael Chesna, a military veteran and married father of two, as well as viewer Vera Adams, a 77-year-old widow.

Prosecutor Greg Connor has described Lopes as a calculating killer and urged that he be found guilty on 11 charges.

The defense has argued that Lopez did not bear criminal responsibility because he had a long history of mental illness and was in a “state of oblivion” on the day of the murders.

Lopez was fleeing the scene of a minor car accident and Chesna was investigating. Prosecutors say Lopez threw a large rock at the officer’s head, knocking him to the ground unconscious, then grabbed the officer’s gun and shot him multiple times.

As he ran away, Lopes shot Adams, who was on his porch. When he was captured, Chesna’s service weapon was out of ammunition, officials said.

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