Jury finds ex-Alameda County sheriff's deputy guilty of 1st degree murder
FILE ART- Former Alameda County sheriffs deputy Devin Williams.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A jury has found an ex-Alameda County sheriff’s deputy guilty of murdering a Dublin couple, in a tragic case that also exposed nearly 50 other deputies who were found to have received "unsuitable" results on their psychological law enforcement tests.
On Oct. 3, the jury found Devin Williams, 26, guilty of first-degree murder, responsible for killing husband and wife, Maria and Benison Tran in their home on Sept. 7, 2022.
Williams shot the couple to death; evidence came out that he was in a romantic relationship with Maria Tran, while she was married to Benison Tran.
Their teenage son was in the house at the time.
District Attorney Pamela Price thanked the jury and prosecutors in a statement and made sure to emphasize that her victim-witness advocates worked "diligently to get the conviction and provide services to the victims’ families, despite the intense public scrutiny and questioning of our commitment to successfully prosecute this case."
Price dropped special circumstances enhancements against Williams, which drew some community controversy.
"We recognize this horrific tragedy leaves a son without his parents and a community forever traumatized by this unacceptable and vicious home invasion attack on an unarmed and unsuspecting couple," Price said in a statement.
47 Alameda County sheriff's deputies deemed unsuitable 'did nothing wrong'
An Alameda County sheriff's captain wrote a memo telling his employees that the 47 deputies who were relieved of their law enforcement duties last week have "done nothing wrong" adding that they have done "great work" for the office and for the community.
Williams pleaded not guilty to murder charges in 2022.
During the trial, Williams’ attorneys pushed for voluntary manslaughter charges and argued that the shooting was a crime of passion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Shortly after the double homicide, KTVU learned that Williams had failed his law enforcement psychological exam but was able to be a deputy anyway.
Because of liability issues, then-Sheriff Greg Ahern began auditing who else in the department might have also failed.
In all, 47 deputies were deemed not suitable and were temporarily suspended from some of their duties, KTVU first reported.
The state investigated how this could have happened, but no formal discipline or report was ever enacted or made public.
Most of the deputies have since returned to the job.
Williams faces a maximum of 50 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 12.