Three clinicians cast doubt on mental fitness of Oakland football legend John Beam’s suspected killer

Three psychiatric clinicians say the man accused of gunning down Laney College Athletic Director John Beam last year is not mentally competent to stand trial, though a ruling on Cedric Irving Jr.’s mental fitness is not expected for several more weeks.

The clinicians’ opinions add a new layer of uncertainty to the prosecution of Irving, 27, who is charged with murder in the mid-November killing that made national headlines due to Beam’s outsized impact on the Oakland football scene and the careers of dozens of NFL players. Irving’s criminal case was paused last month after his public defender raised concerns about his mental competency, which is a determination solely of whether he is able to understand court proceedings and aid in his defense.

Irving, who has yet to enter a plea in the case, remains held without bail at the Santa Rita Jail.

In a hearing Friday, Beam’s attorney told an Alameda County judge that two court-ordered psychiatric clinicians examined Irving and found that he is not mentally fit to stand trial. The public defender, Sydney Levin, added that a third clinician — one hired by her office — came to the same conclusion.

However, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jason Chin held off on making a ruling Friday, after Assistant District Attorney Danielle London said she planned to hire her own clinician to evaluate Irving. Such evaluations can take as long as six weeks to complete.

If Chin finds Irving incompetent to stand trial, the case will remain paused while Irving is sent to a state hospital for treatment, with the goal of restoring his ability to understand court proceedings and aid in his own defense. The issue of mental competency is a completely separate legal matter from a defendant’s mental state at the time of a killing, meaning it has no bearing on whether or not Irving’s attorneys could seek an insanity defense at trial.

Appearing in red jail garb Friday, Irving sat next to his public defender and remained silent as his attorney aired the results of his mental exams.

Authorities say Irving fatally shot Beam in the head on Nov. 13 at the Laney College Field House, where Beam worked as the college’s athletic director and had recently retired as a decades-long football coach for the Eagles. He died a day later, hours after authorities arrested Irving near the San Leandro BART station.

The death of Beam — who starred in the Netflix show “Last Chance U” while helping more than 30 former high school and college players reach the NFL — later prompted Peralta Community College District leaders to fast-track hundreds of thousands of dollars to fast-track security upgrades for the Field House. Beam himself had raised safety concerns about the facility just a day before the shooting.

Irving’s mental health has since played a central role in his case, after he told investigators that he targeted Beam on account of the longtime coach placing “witchcraft” on him and trying to “mess” with Irving’s body and mind.

The statement later led Alameda County Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods to say the information “suggests serious mental health problems may play a significant role in this case.”

Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.