The Carlos Dominguez Davis case involves a former University of California, Davis student charged with stabbing three people in Davis, California, over one week in spring 2023, killing two and critically injuring a third. Dominguez has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. His first trial ended in June 2025 with acquittals on both first-degree murder counts and a hung jury on the remaining charges. A retrial on second-degree murder and attempted murder began in May 2026 and was still underway as of late June 2026.
What Happened in the Davis Stabbings
The attacks took place between April 27 and May 1, 2023.
David Breaux, a 50-year-old Stanford graduate known locally as the “Compassion Guy” for asking passersby what compassion meant to them, was found dead on a bench in Davis’ Central Park on April 27, 2023. He had been stabbed 31 times. Police described the attack as “significantly violent,” and a knife sheath recovered near his body later tested positive for Dominguez’s DNA, according to prosecutors.1KCRA. Davis Police Activity Reported in Area of Central Park2Sacramento Bee. Davis Stabbings Trial Evidence
Two days later, on April 29, Karim Abou Najm was fatally stabbed in Sycamore Park while biking home from campus. He was a 20-year-old fourth-year computer science major in the UC Davis University Honors Program, weeks from graduation.3The Aggie. Remembering Karim Abou Najm and David Henry Breaux
On May 1, Kimberlee Guillory, 64, was attacked in her tent at a downtown Davis encampment on L Street. Her attacker ripped open the tent at night and stabbed her in the back with a downward motion. Guillory lost 20 to 30 percent of her blood and suffered a life-threatening kidney injury that required emergency surgery and a transfusion, according to the testimony of surgeon Vernon Shatz. She survived and eventually made a full recovery, but told jurors she could not see her attacker’s face.4Sacramento Bee. Davis Stabbings Retrial Testimony
How Police Identified and Arrested Dominguez
On May 4, 2023, roughly a week after the first killing, police arrested Dominguez near Sycamore Park after about 15 community members pointed him out from a description officers had circulated. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt and black Adidas pants matching descriptions from the attacks, and officers recovered a large knife from a backpack he was carrying.5WBAL-TV. Davis Stabbings Arrest
Prosecutors alleged Dominguez had purchased a Smith & Wesson tactical knife on Amazon on December 6, 2022, after searching for it the day before. Forensic analyst Heather Tomchick testified that testing of the knife found a 99 percent likelihood it carried Dominguez’s DNA and a “moderate inclusion” for Abou Najm’s DNA. A search of Dominguez’s Hawthorne Street residence turned up clothing with suspected blood and a hamper of items believed to be soaked in blood.2Sacramento Bee. Davis Stabbings Trial Evidence6Davis Vanguard. Forensic Evidence in Davis Stabbing Trial
Dominguez’s Schizophrenia Diagnosis and the Competency Finding
Dominguez, born in El Salvador, came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor and was detained for about a month at age six, according to defense testimony. At UC Davis, peers and coworkers said he grew increasingly withdrawn, his hygiene declined, he lost weight, and he began staring blankly at walls. His GPA fell to 1.65 in winter 2021, and he was eventually academically disqualified.7KCRA. Carlos Dominguez Testimony at Davis Stabbings Trial
Before he could be tried, the court had to decide whether he was mentally competent to participate in his own defense. At a competency hearing held July 24–28, 2023, court-appointed psychologist Dr. Julian Rohrer testified that Dominguez was “not competent at this time” and called him “a textbook example of schizophrenia.” Defense neuropsychologist Dr. Dale Watson agreed he was “most likely schizophrenic.”8KCRA. Davis Serial Killer: DA Says Not Competent for Trial
In August 2023, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam found Dominguez incompetent to stand trial and ordered him to Atascadero State Hospital, with involuntary psychotropic medication after he had refused antipsychotics in county jail. On December 20, 2023, hospital doctors certified that he had regained sufficient understanding of the proceedings to assist his attorney, and the criminal case was reinstated in early 2024.9CapRadio. Former UC Davis Student Will Return to Court to Stand Trial for Stabbing Deaths
What the First Jury Decided
The first trial began May 5, 2025. Deputy District Attorney Matthew DeMoura portrayed Dominguez as an “angry, failing UC Davis student” whose cannabis use and dissatisfaction with his life led to premeditated attacks.10CBS News Sacramento. Dominguez Retrial Begins
Dominguez took the stand and told jurors he had heard whispers and seen “shadowy figures” resembling devils that pointed and laughed at him. He said he believed he was attacking “shadow shapeshifters” and only realized he had hurt real people after receiving treatment for schizophrenia in state custody.7KCRA. Carlos Dominguez Testimony at Davis Stabbings Trial
The jury deliberated nine days over three weeks. On June 27, 2025, it returned not-guilty verdicts on both counts of first-degree murder but deadlocked on the lesser charges. On second-degree murder, the split was 10–2 in favor of acquittal. The jury never reached the involuntary manslaughter or attempted murder counts. Judge McAdam polled each juror and then declared a mistrial on the unresolved counts. Because a hung jury does not trigger double jeopardy protections, prosecutors were free to retry those charges.11Courthouse News Service. Jurors in Davis Stabbing Case Find Carlos Dominguez Not Guilty of First-Degree Murder
What the 2026 Retrial Covers
Pretrial motions began May 7, 2026, with jury selection starting May 21 and opening statements on May 28. The retrial covers second-degree murder for the deaths of Breaux and Abou Najm and attempted murder for the stabbing of Guillory. It is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks and is structured in two phases: a guilt phase, followed by a mental health phase addressing whether Dominguez was legally sane at the time of the attacks.12The Aggie. Carlos Dominguez Retrial Scheduled for May 20264Sacramento Bee. Davis Stabbings Retrial Testimony
Prosecution’s New Cannabis-Psychosis Theory
The prosecution changed course for the second trial. Rather than contesting the schizophrenia diagnosis, DeMoura acknowledged the illness but argued that Dominguez’s heavy use of high-potency THC products worsened it, triggering what the prosecution calls “cannabis-induced psychosis.” DeMoura told jurors: “Even in psychosis, he intended to kill Kimberlee Guillory, Karim Abou Najm, and David Breaux.” Prosecutors planned to call expert witnesses on cannabis-induced psychosis and testimony from Dominguez’s friends about his marijuana use in the period before the attacks.10CBS News Sacramento. Dominguez Retrial Begins
Defense Argument
Public defender Dan Hutchinson did not dispute that Dominguez carried out the attacks. He framed the case as one of intent and mental state, telling jurors Dominguez had “a mind devastated by a severe, progressive, debilitating and cruel mental disease” and arguing that any conviction should be for involuntary manslaughter rather than murder because schizophrenia prevented Dominguez from forming murderous intent.13KCRA. Davis Deadly Stabbings Retrial Opening Statements14Sacramento Bee. Davis Stabbings Retrial Opening Statements
On the cannabis theory, Hutchinson said three medical professionals who examined Dominguez all diagnosed schizophrenia and would “reject the possibility of cannabis-induced psychosis,” while the one professional advancing the cannabis theory had not personally interviewed him. The defense described the cannabis-psychosis theory as one “created by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office last autumn” and noted that Dominguez continues to experience symptoms of schizophrenia after years without marijuana.15Courthouse News Service. Prosecutors Invoke Drug-Induced Psychosis in Retrial of Accused Davis Stabber
Where the Case Stands Now
As of late June 2026, the retrial was ongoing in a Woodland courtroom, with the prosecution still presenting witnesses. On June 25, 2026, a digital forensic expert from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office presented location data extracted from electronic devices associated with Dominguez and David Breaux. No verdict had been reached, and the trial was expected to continue for several more weeks before potentially moving to the sanity phase.16KCRA. Davis Serial Stabbings Retrial