UPDATE: Bail set at $20,000 for Man Accused of Perjury in Medford Murder Case

A man who authorities say witnessed his roommate murder an aquaintance on Salem Street in August then lied about it to a grand jury had his bail set at $20,000 Tuesday.

Roger Beattie, 32, has been indicted on two counts of perjury, and was arraigned yesterday in Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn, District Attorney Gerard Leone announced Monday. Judge Elizabeth Fahey set his bail at $20,000 cash.

Beattie witnessed his roommate, Christopher Toppi, beat to death Brian Fahy, 28, at their 382 Salem St. apartment on August 28, 2010, prosecutors said. But when called to testify before a grand jury, Beattie denied seeing the Toppi at the apartment and failed to reveal other information about the killing, including a conversation he had with Toppi about the murder weapon, according to a district attorney press release.

When Beattie arrived home in the early morning of August 28 after a night out, he allegedly called Toppi and told him Fahy was at the apartment with a friend, according to the press release.

Upon hearing this, Toppi went home and spoke to Beattie in the doorway of the residence then went upstairs and confronted Fahy, prosecutors said. Beattie saw Toppi beating the Fahy, but waited before he pulled his roommate away, prosecutors said.

Medford Police responded to the address at about 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 28 and found Fahy with severe head injuries. He was declared dead at the scene.

Toppi was indicted in September 2010 on one count of first degree murder.

Beattie was arrested by Medford police over the weekend and is expected to be arraigned on his two perjury charges Tuesday in Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn.

“This defendant is alleged to have provided false statements regarding his critical knowledge of matters material to a homicide investigation,” District Attorney Leone said in a statement.  “This office takes such deliberate tampering with the pursuit of justice very seriously and we will charge those who intentionally interfere with our prosecution of a case.”