Thursday, 4:30 PM
Bail increased for man accused of fatal stabbing in South Boston bar
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
The lawyer for a defendant accused of murdering a man during a bar brawl in South Boston said today in court that police and prosecutors have charged the wrong person.
With The 6 House bar crowded with people on June 17, only one witness has identified Bernard Piscopo, 38, of Dorchester, as the killer, according to his attorney Robert A. George.
"That one witness ... is wrong," George said today in Suffolk Superior Court during Piscopo's arraignment.
Piscopo is accused of fatally stabbing Adam Rich, 26, who prosecutors say came back into the bar after being thrown out for fighting and punched the defendant in the face, knocking him to the ground. According to prosecutors, Piscopo grabbed a knife, stood up, and stabbed Rich and his friend Thomas Browne, 24. Browne, who received some 40 stitches after the melee, was also arraigned today on a charge that he assaulted Piscopo.
During Piscopo’s arraignment, prosecutor Holly Broadbent disputed the claims of the defense. “No witnesses put a knife in anyone’s hands besides Mr. Piscopo,” Broadbent said.
Judge Peter M. Lauriat rejected the prosecution’s request to raise Piscopo’s bail to $500,000. Instead, Lauriat raised the bail to $100,000. Piscopo had been free on $75,000 bail and his family was scrambling today to come up with the additional $25,000.
