Alameda County will pay the family of a couple killed off-duty by a sheriff’s deputy with his department-issued gun $36 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the settlement of a wrongful death case beginning September 7, 2022, in the slayings of Benison and Maria Tran and then-Deputy Devin Williams.
The lawsuit alleges that Williams failed a pre-employment psychiatric evaluation before the county hired him and that the deputies — during the 911 incident with the deputy and the victim — received the 911 report, turned off their body cameras, and advised the victim not to file a restraining order against the deputy, which would have limited his ability to work.
While he was off duty, in September 2022, Williams shot and killed the Tran’s in their home in Dublin, Calif., in front of their 14-year-old son, Brendon Tran, as well as Maria’s mother, brother and cousin.
Maria Tran worked at the John George Psychiatric Pavilion and met the deputy after bringing an inmate there for evaluation. The two begin a romantic relationship that ends at the insistence of Maria Tran.
Williams arrived at his home in the early morning hours of Aug. 8. 2022, he knocked repeatedly.
Four Alameda County deputies responded to the 911 call from the home, and Williams identified himself as the deputy and showed his ID. Body-worn camera footage of the encounter captured one deputy replying, “He’s one of us.” Deputies then turned off the body camera’s microphones, according to court records.
Maria Tran said she told responding deputies that she was responding to her and her family and was asking for help getting a restraining order.
Deputies, ignoring the department’s domestic violence policies, advised that it was not possible to obtain an emergency protection order. According to the case and its findings, they examined the 911 report, which revealed that the call was unfounded and no suspect had been identified, as well as the identity of Williams.
A month later, Williams, after working his job, arrived at the Dublin home around 4 am, and first shot Benison Tran while she was on the 911 call. He then shot both Benison and Maria Tran in the head with his service weapon, according to authorities.
“Maria’s fear for her and her family’s safety was justified; the cover-up by the deputies is an injustice that resulted in the deaths of two people,” said attorney Christopher Dolan, who represented the Tran family.
“This was a double homicide that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office took many chances to stop, including not hiring Williams, who failed a psychiatric evaluation, and later complying with Maria Tran’s request for relief and a letter of protection.” He mentioned that Brendon was left an orphan.
In October 2024, an Alameda County jury convicted Williams of two counts of murder. He is now serving 50 years in prison.
Brendon Tran, Kim Le, Dalton Tran, and Thi Le sued the department and Alameda County in October 2023, alleging negligence, wrongful death, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision related to Williams’ hiring and the Sheriff’s Department’s response to Maria Tran’s August 2022 request for protection.
“Our hearts go out to the entire family for the tragic loss of Maria and Benison Tran on September 7, 2022,” Alameda County said in a statement. “This settlement ends a chapter in the law, and we hope it will bring a moment of peace to the family and the community. The County fully supports the Sheriff’s efforts to improve oversight and take corrective action in the employment of sworn officers.”
The revelation that Williams failed a pre-employment psychological test led to an audit showing that 47 deputies in Alameda County – about 5% of the force – received ratings of “D. Not Suited”, which means, under California law, that they should not have been employed as peace officers.
