OAKLAND — Cedric Irving, the onetime Laney College student accused of murdering longtime football coach John Beam in an on-campus shooting, bought the gun in Castro Valley roughly a month earlier, with the specific intent to use it to kill Beam, according to Oakland police.
Irving, 27, allegedly told investigators that he bought the gun from an online store with the intent to use it to kill Beam, a widely respected coach who had appeared on the Netflix show Last Chance U. But police say they found a receipt from a Castro Valley gun shop, and a copy of paperwork Irving filled out with the store to purchase the weapon.
Irving claimed during his police interview that Beam was using “witchcraft” on him to “mess” with Irving’s body and mind, investigators said. He bought the gun on Oct. 15, picked it up from the shop on Nov. 4 after passing a background check, then went to campus and shot Beam in the head on Nov. 13, one day before his 27th birthday, according to police and court records.
Police obtained records of the gun transaction with a search warrant, hoping the evidence can be used to offset an anticipated mental health defense from Irving, who remains jailed without bail. Under state law, a person can be deemed criminally sane at the time of a homicide — despite having a delusion as their motive — if there is evidence they knew the killing was wrong.
Attempt to get away with the crime, even illogical or ineffective ones, can be used to establish this. In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered an 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover blaming a delusion about an impending World War III. Even though Shultz checked himself into a hospital where he was arrested, and confessed, prosecutors convinced a jury that by waiting till everyone was asleep and leaving the home afterwards, Shultz demonstrated knowledge of wrongdoing.
Irving’s case is similar. He left the scene but was arrested the day after the shooting, and allegedly confessed in full, stating that it was justified because Beam had been “haunting” his dreams and “messing with my body,” police said in court filings. Police recovered the suspected murder weapon and verified it was registered to Irving, court records allege.
The prosecution of Irving has been off to a slow start. He has had multiple court hearings but still hasn’t formally entered a plea. He is scheduled to do so on Jan. 14, a full two months after Beam died from the gunshot wound.
