Title: Commonwealth v. Perry

State: massachusetts

Issuer: Massachusetts Supreme Court

Document:

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SJC-12771 
 
COMMONWEALTH  vs.  FREDERICK H. PERRY. 
 
 
 
October 17, 2019. 
 
 
Practice, Criminal, Capital case, Postconviction relief, Appeal. 
 
 
The defendant, Frederick Perry, was convicted of murder in 
the first degree by reason of extreme atrocity or cruelty.  See 
Commonwealth v. Perry, 432 Mass. 214 (2000).  In February 2019, 
he filed, in the Superior Court, his fourth motion for a new 
trial, which was denied.  He then applied to a single justice of 
this court for leave to appeal from the denial, pursuant to 
G. L. c. 278, § 33E.  The single justice denied the application.  
Perry has appealed from the single justice's ruling and the 
Commonwealth has moved to dismiss the appeal.1 
 
 
Perry has no right to appeal from the single justice's 
ruling.  "A single justice, acting as a gatekeeper pursuant to 
G. L. c. 278, § 33E, may allow an appeal to the full court to 
proceed under that statute if the appeal presents a 'new and 
substantial' question."  Commonwealth v. Anderson, 482 Mass. 
1027, 1027 (2019), citing Commonwealth v. Gunter, 459 Mass. 480, 
487, cert. denied, 565 U.S. 868 (2011).  "If the appeal fails on 
either count, and the single justice denies the application, 
that decision 'is final and unreviewable.'"  Anderson, supra, 
quoting Commonwealth v. Gunter, 456 Mass. 1017, 1017 (2010).  
                                                 
 
1 Each of the defendant's previous motions for a new trial 
was similarly denied in the trial court, as were his subsequent 
applications to a single justice for leave to appeal from the  
denials pursuant to G. L. c. 278, § 33E.  This is the first time 
that he has sought to appeal to the full court from a single 
justice's ruling denying an application for leave to appeal. 
 
 
Perry's attempt to appeal from the single justice's denial of 
his application must therefore be dismissed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Appeal dismissed. 
 
 
 
Frederick H. Perry, pro se. 
 
Thomas H. Townsend, Assistant District Attorney, for the 
Commonwealth.