Alameda County prosecutors have dropped a special circumstances enhancement against a former sheriff’s deputy whose career ended the day he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her husband during a home invasion.
Devin Williams, 25, now no longer faces the possibility of life without parole in state prison, though he still faces a sentence of 50 years to life on both murder counts if convicted. Williams is charged with killing Benison and Maria Tran after breaking into the couple’s Dublin home in September 2022, apparently obsessively distraught about his and Maria’s relationship.
Just before Williams’ preliminary hearing, District Attorney Pamela Price’s office asked to drop special circumstances filed under former District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. Even though Judge Paul Delucchi initially denied that request, he later ruled that Williams must stand trial on one of the enhancements. Prosecutors, however, then refiled the case last week without any special circumstances included.
The new filing means that a defense motion to dismiss the enhancement — which called into question filing practices under O’Malley — is now likely a moot point. The motion argued that prosecutors during O’Malley’s tenure disproportionately charged Black people with special circumstances enhancements and that Williams, who is Black, was affected by the pattern.
Sentencing enhancements add prison time to underlying charges, and are intended to increase punishments when there are aggravating circumstances to an offense, like using a weapon, ambushing someone, or killing a potential witness. Price campaigned in 2022 against the use of enhancements carrying the death penalty or life without parole.
Price won the election handily against a former longtime Alameda County prosecutor, but is now facing an effort to recall her from office. This has added extra scrutiny to the already contentious debate about how — or whether — to reform the criminal justice system.
In a letter to Price, the relatives of Maria and Benison Tran voiced their “dismay” at the district attorney’s decision not to pursue special circumstances allegations against Williams.
“We are left thinking that you are making a sweetheart deal to protect a police officer and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and gain favor with the police associations that have repeatedly challenged your competence as district attorney, your failure to protect the people from crime and the politicization of your office,” the letter reads.