Matthew Maxson and his family will have to come up with half a million dollars if they want him to be free on bail while he prepares for his murder trial.

Monday morning, Maxson stood before County Court Judge Walter Hafner and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the May killing of Diana Cooper.

Maxson's lawyer won the right to have Maxson given a mental exam, to see if he's mentally fit to stand trial.

The Fulton woman was stabbed repeatedly in the neck with a knife. Her body was found in her West Second Street South apartment.

Maxson allegedly was in the neighborhood the night of Cooper's death, selling magazines door to door for a Florida-based marketing firm.

He was found with his colleagues at a hotel in Geddes. A co-worker told police that Maxson claimed to have had a fight with a teenager, to account for the blood on his shoes and the fact that Maxson was wearing a woman's sweater and his shirt was gone.

Police say the sweater was Cooper's and the shirt ws found in the Cooper apartment.

At his arraignment today, appointed defense lawyer Sal Lanza asked for a bail of $50,000 cash, $100,000 bond, saying that Maxson's parents had pledged to put up their home as security and that Maxson was not a risk to flee.

Prosecutor Donald Dodd responded that Maxson had a prior conviction and a probation violation on his record.

Judge Hafner set bail at $500,000 cash or $1 million bond.

The case returns to court August 25th to hear motions.

Judge Hafner, citing the objection of Lanza, did not allow audio-visual coverage of the arraignment