UPDATE: Alameda County deputy charged with 2 counts of special circumstance murder in Dublin slayings
DUBLIN – Alameda County sheriff's deputy Devin Williams Jr. was charged with two counts of special circumstance murder Friday in the shooting deaths of Benison and Maria Tran in their Dublin home.
Williams, who was taken into custody after fleeing to Southern California, was expected to be arraigned on the charges Friday.
If convicted, Williams could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole. He is currently being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
Benison, 57, and his wife Maria, 42, were fatally shot inside their Dublin home Wednesday. Four other relatives who were in the home, including their child, were unharmed,
His mother, Anitra Williams, told reporters that her son had been in a romantic relationship with Maria Tran and he believed she was unmarried.
Anitra Williams said she had warned her son against being with Tran, whom he had met at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, where Tran worked as a nurse. She said the couple had been together since January and her son was "blinded by love."
Detectives also ospoke with Devin's father, who advised he was aware that Devin had been in a dating relationship with Maria Tran.
Dublin Police Chief Garrett Holmes said Williams Jr. was tracked to a location near Coalinga and deputies took him into custody late Wednesday morning.
Alameda County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Ray Kelly said Williams Jr. had called wanting to surrender.
"We received a call from the suspect and he wanted to turn himself in," Holmes said. "And so we were able to have a conversation with him, and during that conversation, we were able to keep him on the phone line and direct the CHP units down to the area near Coalinga and safely take the suspect into custody."
Dublin police officers responded to a 911 call at the 3100 block of Colebrook Lane near Fallon Road in East Dublin at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. The caller reported two subjects had been shot inside the residence and that the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle.
Upon arriving, officers found the Trans suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Medical aid was summoned to the residence, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses identified the shooter as Williams. When deputies arrived, they heard an unknown family member say, "Devin" and "He is a cop."
Detectives reviewed license plate readers, which revealed Williams grey-colored Volkswagen sedan driving south on Fallon Gateway one minute after the shooting. Fallon Road is the closest main thoroughfare to Interstate 580 from the crime scene.
Detectives responded to the scene and located shell casings with "Speer 9mm" inscribed on them. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office uses Speer 9mm ammunition.
They also listened to the 911 call and believed there were 6 gunshots on the audio tape. Detectives later recovered 6 firearm shell casings at the scene of the crime.
