- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Murder suspect, alleged accomplices enter not guilty pleas
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The suspect in a Sept. 8 Clearlake homicide and his three alleged accomplices entered not guilty pleas in court on Tuesday.
Joshua Robert Beavers, 24, charged with the shooting death of 29-year-old Clearlake resident David Ferrell, pleaded not guilty to the 11 counts and numerous special allegations against him during a Tuesday morning court appearance, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
Beavers is charged with murder, attempted murder, assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded handgun in a vehicle or public place, according to the court filings.
Charged with one count each of conspiracy for having allegedly helped harbor Beavers and hide evidence are Orlando Esquivel Sr., 48, and his wife, 50-year-old Angel Aileen Esquivel, and Brenden Alicea, 26. Hinchcliff said all three also pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Hinchcliff said all four suspects are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 16, at which time their preliminary hearings will be scheduled.
Police said the Sept. 8 shooting was precipitated by a fight that Beavers had been involved in earlier that same day.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Nick Bennett told Lake County News this week that Beavers had been in a fight with Orlando Esquivel's stepson at Ray's Food Place.
Later that day, Beavers, the Esquivels and Alicea are alleged to have driven to the area of 19th and Gardner avenues to look for Esquivel's stepson, according to Bennett.
Bennett said Beavers didn't find the man he was looking for, and at some point he pulled out a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun and started shooting.
Ferrell, who was standing outside of his home when the shooting started, was struck in the head and killed, according to Bennett.
Regarding the confrontation earlier in the day that led to the shooting, Ferrell “had nothing to do with it,” Bennett said.
The Ferrell family had been celebrating the birthday of their 14-year-old daughter the previous day and still had friends over on the day of the shooting. Gunfire also struck 25-year-old Rachel Patterson, 25, and Paul Cressy, 52, according to police.
Both Patterson and Cressy suffered what police said were not life-threatening injuries. Patterson was treated and released at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake with a grazing wound to her side, while Cressy was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of a wound to his elbow.
Beavers, the Esquivels and Alicea were detained at a residence on 21st Avenue in Clearlake within hours of the shooting. Police arrested Beavers and Orlando Esquivel not long after taking them into custody.
A police search later that night recovered the handgun Beavers is alleged to have used – as well as a .410 shotgun police said was present at the incident but not used – in some bushes in the area of 16th and Boyles avenues.
Police reported that they arrested Alicea and Angel Esquivel the morning following the shooting.
Bennett said Beavers is from out of the area; it's believed he moved to Clearlake recently, with police having had their first contacts with him in April. Bennett said the three accomplices also are known to police.
All four suspects in the case remain in the Lake County Jail. Beavers' bail remains at $2.9 million, while bail for the Esquivels and Alicea at $250,000 each, according to jail records.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.