Ukiah doctor arraigned in wife’s slaying

Nearly seven years after telling police that he found his wife dead in their home, a Ukiah physician was arraigned Friday on charges of second-degree murder in the woman’s death.

Dr. Peter Keegan appeared before Judge Ann Moorman and later was released on bail after posting a $300,000 cashier’s check. He is scheduled to enter a plea on Oct. 20.

The arraignment followed a criminal grand jury’s find this week that there was probable cause to prosecute Keegan in the Nov. 11, 2010 death of 55-year-old Susan Keegan. The grand jury, last used for a criminal case in 2003, is an alternative to holding a preliminary hearing, said Mike Geniella, a spokesman for the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office.

The cause of Susan Keegan’s death was first deemed inconclusive but later ruled a homicide. Family and friends questioned Peter Keegan’s account and noted the couple were going through an acrimonious divorce.

Peter Keegan was represented Friday by longtime Santa Rosa criminal defense attorney Chris Andrian.