Why was there a mistrial in the Lopes case? The jury foreperson speaks out

MENDON ? The foreperson of the jury that couldn't reach a verdict in the Emanuel Lopes double-murder trial says one juror was adamant that Lopes was having a psychotic episode and shouldn't be convicted of killing Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna and Weymouth resident Vera Adams.

The foreperson, Cindy Lavoie, said the juror completely shut down and would not engage in any conversations.

“When somebody just doesn’t want to participate and doesn’t want to show you the information, how they got to a certain conclusion, it was so frustrating,” Lavoie told WCVB on Wednesday.

She said she is speaking out so the families of Chesna and Adams can hear from at least one juror.

“Most of us felt very differently than the outcome of bringing it to mistrial, so I didn’t know if they knew that, and I wanted to make sure they did," she said.

“If a job is left unfinished, it leaves a really bad taste in your mouth ? really bad feeling,” Lavoie said.

More: After mistrial, what comes next in the Weymouth double-murder case?

A judge declared a mistrial in the case of Lopes, who is accused of killing Chesna and Adams in July 2018 in Weymouth, after the jury deadlocked. The jury was from the Worcester area.

During the trial, Lopes' lawyer did not dispute the allegation that Lopes fatally shot Chesna, a 42-year-old military veteran and father of two, and Adams, a 77-year-old widow, but argued Lopes was unable to mentally understand his actions.

Lavoie said that when the jury first started deliberating, there was an even split on whether Lopes was guilty, but eventually more jurors thought he was guilty.

When Dedham Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial, Lavoie said it was gut-wrenching as she watched the victims’ families react to the news in the courtroom.

More: 'Sensitive matter': What happened in court as sidebars delay deliberations in Lopes trial

That uneasiness continued when the jury was loaded onto the bus to head home for the last time.

“On that bus ride home, no one said a word,” Lavoie told WCVB. “We were all just in our own heads and just deflated.”

A new trial is planned, and Lavoie said she believes justice will be served.

More: Two portraits of accused cop killer: Mentally ill vs. deliberate murderer

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Lopes jury foreperson: One juror believed he shouldn't be convicted