David Eyster.  Photo: pressdemocrat.com

Ukiah’s unsolved homicide, and justice for Susan Keegan, are in the hands of Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster. And have been for six years. Every year or two, DA Eyster does something dramatic to remind us that the investigation is still open – or perhaps, just to stall bereaved family and friends and stave off more criticism. Today is the sixth anniversary of Susan’s death.

Here is how events have unfolded since her murder on November 11, 2010:

• The first warrant to search the Keegan home is executed in June 2011.
• Two years later, in August 2012, authorities change Susan’s death certificate, declaring the cause “homicide” and telling the press “there is a person of interest” in the case.
• A second search warrant is executed at the Keegan home in January 2013.
• Mysterious silence follows. Years tick by, with little legal movement. The justice4susan.com website continues its determined vigil, aided by the loyal Anderson Valley Advertiser and countless Ukiah residents who keep calling for action. Official words are few.
• In February 2016, a search warrant is finally executed at the office of Norm Rosen, the divorce mediator where the sole suspect in the homicide “went ballistic.”

In between those developments, there are whispered hints to family and the media that really, truly, the case will move forward. “2016 is the year,” declares DA Eyster behind the scenes. More time passes.  Family births, marriages, and deaths occur, but justice does not.

And our questions go unanswered, year after year after year. Can anyone in the District Attorney’s office reach out to us and explain why?  Our questions are respectful, if pointed:

• DA Eyster, you are an elected representative of the people: Why won’t you tell your community what is going on?
• DA Eyster, you are an officer of the court, sworn to uphold the law: How can you allow a homicide to go unpunished?
• DA Eyster, you are a strategic thinker, duty-bound to seek the truth: Have the signals sent from your office about a prosecution been honorable?
• DA Eyster, you are a public servant who understands the damage done to civic life when justice is unaccountably delayed: What are you waiting for?