Dominguez ‘made the choice’ to kill in 2023 Davis knife rampage, prosecutor says
Carlos Dominguez made a series of deliberate choices — he chose to lunge at and repeatedly stab his victims, to kill them and flee, a Yolo County prosecutor told jurors Wednesday during closing argument in the guilt phase of the former UC Davis student’s second murder trial in Woodland.
Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Alex Kian dismissed defense claims that Dominguez’s mental illness prevented him from forming criminal intent during the April 2023 slayings of David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm in Davis city parks, arguing Dominguez knew what he was doing when he attacked the two men.
Breaux, 50, was the first victim, sleeping on a bench in Davis’ Central Park when he was fatally attacked. Breaux was stabbed 31 times. Dominguez later told examining doctors while in custody that he was guided by voices to approach the figure on the bench, Kian said.
“The voice in his head at the time said, ‘You must go to him.’ What he’s hearing is ‘him.’ That’s the first clue that he should recognize (Breaux),” Kian said.
“He made that choice to kill Mr. Breaux. He chose to grab the knife. He chose to lunge. He goes to Breaux and makes the choice to stab each consecutive time,” Kian continued. “Mr. Breaux tried to fight to survive. He was not successful.”
Finally, Kian said, Dominguez “made the choice to go home.”
Dominguez, diagnosed with the symptoms of schizophrenia, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the killings. Dominguez testified that he heard voices and saw “shadow figures,” which his defense said were signs of his worsening schizophrenia.
Dominguez also faces an attempted murder charge in the near-fatal stabbing of 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory, who was stabbed through her tent at a downtown homeless encampment in the last of the attacks.
Yolo Superior Court jurors will soon decide whether Dominguez is guilty of the crimes before the trial moves to a second phase to determine whether he was sane at the time of the offenses.
Jurors at Dominguez’s first trial acquitted him on one murder count and failed to reach a verdict on a second murder count. Jurors also deadlocked on the attempted murder charge related to Guillory’s attack.
The decision prompted Yolo Superior Court Judge Samuel McAdam to declare a mistrial, setting the stage for a second trial.
Prosecutors argue that Dominguez’s psychosis was heightened by his prolonged used of potent marijuana; but that he also demonstrated “goal-oriented” behavior despite his mental state, showing that he intended to attack and kill his victims.
That was the case in Abou Najm’s killing, Kian told jurors. He argued Dominguez leapt out of the shadows at Sycamore Park into the path of Abou Najm, who was riding a bicycle, causing a collision.
Dominguez told examining physicians that a shadowy figure pointed and made a laughing gesture before the attack.
“That’s when he made the choice to grab the knife,” Kian said. Abou Najm was stabbed 52 times. Nearly all of the wounds were to the 20-year-old’s chest, neck and head, some as deep as 5 inches, Kian said.
“Think of the force needed. These were acts of aggression,” Kian said.
Kian said the location of the wounds showed Dominguez sat atop Abou Najm during the attack. Dominguez said he did not remember the attack, but did remember riding away on his bicycle.
A doctor who tended to the dying Abou Najm and testified at trial said he saw Dominguez flee. The witness said Dominguez did not hesitate to “grab a bike and get out of there as fast as he could.”
“Dominguez is remembering grabbing his bike and leaving, but not 52 stab wounds?” Kian asked jurors. “Just because someone doesn’t remember doesn’t mean he didn’t have the intent to do it.”
Closing arguments continued Wednesday afternoon in Yolo Superior Court.
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