Ex-Alameda County Deputy Sentenced for Double Murder That Exposed Psych Exam Failures

A former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy will spend 50 years to life in prison for murdering a Dublin couple in their home in 2022, the district attorney’s office said. The sentencing marks the end of a high-profile case that drew scrutiny to the county’s psychological screening process for deputies.

Devin Williams, 26, was convicted last month of two counts of first-degree murder for killing Maria and Benison Tran, who were 42 and 57, respectively. Williams, an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy at the time of the killing, was romantically involved with Maria Tran, according to the district attorney’s office.

On Sept. 7, 2022, Williams left work and went to the Trans’ home, ultimately shooting both victims to death with his county-issued gun. After an hours-long manhunt, he called authorities and turned himself in to the California Highway Patrol near the Central Valley city of Coalinga, about 160 miles south of the crime scene.

Williams will serve two back-to-back sentences, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Madden announced Tuesday. Madden also ordered Williams to pay nearly $13,000 for burial expenses for the two victims.

“While this sentence does provide a measure of justice for the Tran family, it does little to ease the grief and lasting impact of this deadly act of domestic violence,” District Attorney Pamela Price said in a statement. “I want to thank the jury that rendered this just verdict on behalf of our community.”

Williams’ arrest in 2022 sparked an internal audit of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office’s psychological examinations over concerns that some deputies hired after 2016 were not fit to serve as peace officers under state law.

Ultimately, the Sheriff’s Office stripped 47 officers of their guns and arresting powers for failing to pass their exams. All 47 retained their pay and benefits, and the office said it would give them a second opportunity to take the exam and be deemed “suitable.”