DA will not seek death penalty in case against ex-UC Davis student accused of fatal stabbing spree
Just two days before the first murder on April 25, Carlos Dominguez was expelled for academic reasons from UC Davis, where he was a third-year biological sciences student.
On Monday, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office provided a notice in court of its intention not to seek the death penalty in the Davis stabbing case against Carlos Dominguez.
Dominguez, a former UC Davis student is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in a string of stabbings in Davis that begin in late April 2023.
“After thorough investigation, the people have made the election not to seek the death penalty at this time,” Deputy District Attorney Matthew De Moura said to Yolo Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam.
The preliminary hearing began Monday afternoon in Dept. 10 and is estimated to continue for the next three days.
Dominguez looked different Monday morning, appearing heavier and without his normal long hair, likely after a recent haircut.
The hearing began with a summary of the felony charges facing Dominguez, including two counts of murder with accompanying enhancement charges of use of a deadly weapon and willful and deliberate and premeditated murder, along with another count of attempted murder and its accompanying enhancement charges.
Judge McAdam then began taking evidence, followed by the first witnesses taking the stand, including but not limited to Davis Police Department Officers Burgess Griffin and Alex Torres, Cpl. Pheng Ly and Sgt. Antonia Dias, among others.
The witnesses recounted the events when they first arrived on the scene of the first incident, while others recounted that day Dominguez was first apprehended by police and their initial interactions with him.
Detectives later took the stand and spoke about their initial interview with Dominguez before adjourning for the day.
Earlier this year, in January, Judge McAdam ruled criminal proceedings would be moving forward after receiving a report from the Department of State Hospitals in late December 2023, certifying that Dominguez was mentally competent to stand trial.
“Carlos Domginuez’s sufficient knowledge and sufficient understanding of the legal procedure and charges and his mental health disorder of schizophrenia with catatonia does not impede a meaningful conversation regarding this subject,” McAdam read from the state hospital report. “So he has sufficient knowledge and understanding of the legal proceedings and the charges before him.”
The report further indicated that Dominguez has the capacity to rationally assist legal counsel and that the risk of self-harm or harm to others in an institutional setting is low.
David Henry Breaux, 50, was found dead in Central Park on April 27 with multiple stab wounds. Two nights later, on April 29, 20-year-old UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm was stabbed to death in Sycamore Park.
On May 1, Kimberlee Guillory was stabbed through her tent at a homeless encampment on 2nd and L street just before midnight. Guillory survived the attack but was left with critical injuries.
Dominguez was taken into custody on May 3 when about 15 people called the department to report seeing a man who matched the suspect description at Sycamore Park, the location of the second homicide.
Just two days before the first murder on April 25, Dominguez was expelled for academic reasons from UC Davis, where he was a third-year biological sciences student.
Dominguez will remain at the Yolo County Jail on no bail.