Commonwealth v. Flaherty

The defendant has appealed from the denial of his application to a single justice of this court for a reduction in his bail. The defendant is charged with murder in the first degree. A Superior Court judge fixed bail at $200,000 with surety. The single justice declined to reduce the amount of the bail but did permit the defendant to satisfy bail by producing “the so-called ‘cash equivalent.’”

The single justice did not abuse his discretion in denying a reduction in the amount of bail. See Cummesso v. Commonwealth, 369 Mass. 368, 374 (1975). The preference for personal recognizance set forth in…