A 41-year-old Woodland man charged with the 2020 death of a Vacaville man entered a not-guilty plea during further arraignment Monday morning in Solano County Superior Court in Fairfield and will face more court dates in the coming months.
After Judge Janice M. Williams allowed The Reporter to take a photo, despite a defense objection, John Davis Lipsey IV — his head shaved, shackled at the waist and ankles and wearing a striped jail jumpsuit, tattoos covering his arms — entered Department 25. For a few moments, he sat next to his newly appointed attorney, Alternate Public Defender Rohan Beesla, who entered the plea and denied all allegations and enhancements.
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Beesla continued to press the judge about the media photographing his client, saying Lipsey is no danger to the community and a published image of him “might affect the jury pool” when juror selection begins at the outset of a trial.
But Williams said she had signed the media request form to permit the taking of the photo, in accord with standard courtroom restrictions for the media.
Beesla, who assumed his representation of Lipsey when the Public Defender declared a conflict, told the judge that his client waived formal arraignment.
Williams ordered Deputy District Attorney Courtney Anderson, who represented the DA’s Office, and Beesla to return at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 21 for a preliminary hearing setting in the Justice Center.
The allegations against Lipsey, including one count of being a felon or addict in possession of a firearm, surfaced after more than five years of investigation by local law enforcement agencies into the death of Luther Derek Harris. The 37-year-old father from Vacaville was reported missing in May 2020.
A missing person photo shows Luther Derek Harris who disappeared in 2020. (COURTESY)
Vacaville Police Department detectives on Sept. 11 arrested Lipsey and one other person, Erika Renee Kelsh, 33, also of Woodland, in connection to Harris’ death. Lipsey, who was convicted of second-degree robbery in September 2012 in Napa County, was taken into custody in the 2000 block of Sutter Place in Davis. Kelsh was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory, police said. She posted $45,000 bail earlier this month and faces arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 6, also in Department 25.
As previously reported, Harris was last seen on April 30, 2020, in the parking lot of his apartment complex in the 1500 block of Alamo Drive in Vacaville. He was reported missing on May 10, 2020, by his mother, a Dixon resident, after failing to contact family on Mother’s Day — something described as uncharacteristic for Harris, who was known to maintain close contact with his loved ones.
Initially investigated by the Dixon Police Department, Vacaville detectives assumed control of the matter in June 2021. Through the years, detectives, with the department’s Investigative Services Section, pursued a wide-ranging investigation, conducting numerous interviews, executing multiple search warrants, and collecting critical evidence, police said in a press statement.
While the leads slowed at times, the detectives continued to seek answers.
In December 2024, new evidence suggested Harris may have been the victim of foul play but it was only recently that authorities formally reclassified the case as a homicide. The continued investigation ultimately uncovered evidence that led to the Sept. 11 arrests, police said.
Other agencies working in tandem with Vacaville investigators included the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office, the FBI Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force, and the California Department of Justice Special Operations Unit.
When last seen, Harris was reportedly wearing a black hat, red hooded sweatshirt, black jean vest, black pants, and black-and-red Nike shoes. He also wore black-framed glasses, earrings, a watch, and a necklace.
In late August 2025, shortly before Labor Day weekend, Vacaville Police posted a reminder on social media about ongoing missing persons cases, including Harris’, urging the public to come forward with any information. That post referenced that more than 3,500 people were reported missing in California the previous year, noting that while most are found quickly, “sometimes their disappearances last months, years and even decades.”
On Sept. 5, the department issued an update, saying, “Based on information gathered during this investigation, the Vacaville Police Department has re-classified Luther Harris’ disappearance as a homicide,” and again urged anyone with information to contact investigators.
Authorities have not disclosed what specific evidence led to the reclassification or the arrests. Responding to public inquiries online, police said: “At this time, we are not able to share additional details as the investigation is ongoing.” They added, “We simply are asking anyone with potentially related information, no matter how minor it may seem, to reach out and let us know so we can look into it.”