OAKLAND, Calif. – The 27-year-old man charged with murder and gun enhancements in the shooting death of legendary Laney College Coach John Beam made his first court appearance on Tuesday, but did not enter a plea.
No plea on murder charge
Alameda County Superior Court Michael Risher, who allowed one still photographer in the courtroom, scheduled Cedric Irving Jr.’s next court date for Dec.16. It’s expected he will enter a plea then.Â
Irving was represented by Deputy Public Defender Sydney Levin. She stood next to him as he entered court wearing a padded, sleeveless vest, which aims to protect people from harming themselves.Â
Irving’s eyes appeared wide as he faced the judge through the courtroom glass.Â
Laney College head football coach John Beam. Photo: KTVU/2024Â
Gun enhancements
Asst. District Attorney Matt Foley appeared for the prosecution, who charged Irving with murder and enhancements, alleging Irving personally discharged a firearm, targeted a “vulnerable” victim and caused great bodily harm.Â
In California, sentence enhancements are used to add jail or prison time to the original charges.
“I’m just absolutely sick to my stomach, at the amount of gun violence in our community, especially in Oakland,” District Attorney Ursula Jones Dixon said on Monday at a news conference announcing the charges.Â
Mental health issue
Risher denied Irving any bail. He is being held in Housing Unit 9F, the behavioral health unit of Santa Rita Jail, records show.
Legal expert Michael Cardoza said he expects defense attorneys will carefully examine Irving’s mental health, and that will take time.Â
“This case will move at glacier speed,” Cardoza said. “It’s not going to go quickly, and one of the things that might be of some concern to the defense, people with mental health illnesses don’t all commit murders, they don’t all commit homicides.”
Irving, who police said would often “loiter” on campus, was taken into custody on Friday, after being accused of walking into the Laney College fieldhouse, where the 66-year-old Beam worked as an athletic director and shooting him in the head the day before, police and prosecutors said.
Police reports show that Beam lates admitted to shooting Beam with a .22-caliber handgun that they later found on him when a sheriff’s deputy spotted him at the San Leandro BART station. Police say the gun was registered to Irving.
Deputy Public Defender Sydney Levin stands by Cedric Irving Jr. during his first court appearance on a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of Coach John Beam. Nov. 18, 2025 Photo: Pool photographer Noah Berger/APÂ
A motive has not been disclosed, though a law enforcement source told KTVU that Irving accused Beam of using “witchcraft” on him, though that detail wasn’t fully explained.
“The death of Coach Beam is incredibly sad, and the community is mourning his loss,” said Alameda County Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods. “We’re still waiting to receive the bulk of the evidence and getting to know our client. Some media reported he told police Coach Beam was putting “witchcraft” on him. That suggests serious mental health problems may play a significant role in this case.”
Beam had many supporters in the courtroom, including NFL great and Oakland booster, Marshawn Lynch.
In fact, the first two rows of the courtroom were filled with Beam friends and family.Â
Over four decades, Beam helped thousands of athletes both on and off the field.
He was head football coach for years until retiring in 2024, and then returning this year as athletic director. Â
Beam and Laney College were featured in 2020 on the Netflix series, “Last Chance U.”Â