Off-Duty California Sheriff's Deputy Allegedly Murdered Secret Lover And Her Husband, Charged

A deputy in California was arrested after being identified as the murder suspect of two victims who were slain inside their home on Wednesday. Alameda County Sheriff's deputy Devin Williams, 24, was arrested and taken into custody following a 12-hour search linking him to the shooting of Benison Tran, 58, and his 42-year-old wife Maria Tran.

According to the New York Post, Williams was off-duty at the time of the shooting which took place around 1 a.m.

Alameda County Sheriff Lt. Ray Kelly told news reporters that Williams knew the victims and that their deaths were not in any way random. Reports from law enforcement resources also stated that the victims were killed “execution style” and authorities are baffled at the bizarre chain of events.

“We had no idea that this could happen. Mr. Williams grew up in a very affluent home, was well loved, and graduated from college with honors. He was really a remarkable young person. How we got here today … it will be something we will be looking at,” Kelly added.

An eyewitness who was inside the Tran home during the shooting identified Williams as the killer while placing the 911 call. The couple’s teenage son was home, as well as a visiting male relative when the shooting occurred. Williams had worked a full shift on Tuesday and took on an overtime shift at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Less than two hours after ending his shift, he broke into the Tran home and shot them on their heads and necks.

Dublin police described Williams as “armed and dangerous” after he fled the scene in a car. In less than 12 hours after the shooting, Dublin Police Chief Garrett Holmes was able to convince Williams to surrender to authorities while on the phone. Chief Holmes spoke with the deputy and persuaded him to disarm himself before the California Highway Patrol officers during the 45-minute call. The police chief said he believed the deputy was suffering from a mental health crisis. He was picked up and apprehended about 160 miles from the Tran home.

The motive for the murders is still unclear, but the police chief hinted that certain events in the deputy’s personal life in the last few months may have contributed to his actions. Williams' mother told Fox News that her son was romantically involved with Maria, who introduced herself as an unmarried woman. Williams would have been celebrating his one-year anniversary with the department on the exact day of the murders.