WOODLAND, Calif. (CN) — Carlos Dominguez, facing accusations of murder and attempted murder in a series of stabbings last spring in Davis, California, appeared Wednesday in Yolo County Superior Court, some two weeks after a judge found probable cause in his case — and two months after he was deemed competent to stand trial.
Clean shaven with his hair trimmed, Dominguez hardly spoke during the proceeding, only once answering "yes" when he was asked if he waived his right to a speedy trial. Deputies escorted him from the courtroom after he pleaded not guilty to the accusations. His next court appearance is set for June 18, when attorneys will discuss trial dates.
Dominguez, 22, remained held without bond.
The hearing, which lasted around five minutes, came after Judge Samuel McAdam held a preliminary hearing and found probable cause in the case. That finding advanced the case to Wednesday’s arraignment, where the judge summarized the information, a formal list of charges, against Dominguez.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors show their evidence and attempt to meet the burden of proving probable cause, a standard much lower than beyond a reasonable doubt. The arraignment, which follows, is used to ensure someone facing criminal charges knows what they are and can prepare a defense.
A case against someone is merely a criminal complaint before a preliminary hearing, and relies only on the perspective of a prosecutor. It becomes criminal information if it passes the preliminary hearing stage.
Dominguez faces two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He also faces enhancements — that the slayings were willful, deliberate and premeditated, and that a deadly weapon was used — which can lengthen a prison sentence.
Dominguez’s clean-cut appearance at his preliminary hearing and arraignment was in stark contrast to last spring and summer, when his hair was much longer and fell in his face, and he appeared to weigh much less.
Former housemates and a psychologist testified about Dominguez’s appearance and declining mental health months after his early May arrest in Davis, California.
The city of Davis, home of the University of California-Davis, was on edge last year during a series of stabbings that left two people dead and one injured.
David Henry Breaux, 50, was found dead in a park on April 26, 2023. Karim Abou Najm, 20, died April 29, 2023, at another park. A witness saw a suspect at that scene, and a bicycle was later recovered.
Kimberlee Guillory was stabbed May 1, 2023, at a homeless encampment. Two days later, a passerby spotted Dominguez, thought he resembled a description of the stabbing suspect, and called police. Officers arrested him that day.
A doctor in a report called Dominguez’s competency to stand trial into question, which led to a trial on that issue.
At that trial, his former girlfriend and housemates testified that they witnessed his physical and mental decline. A psychologist said Dominguez showed traits of someone with schizophrenia.
Dominguez sat motionless and hunched over during the trial — a trait the psychologist pointed out during her testimony.
Prosecutors relented about a week into the competency trial, leading Judge McAdam to declare Dominguez incompetent to stand trial for murder. He went to a state hospital around the end of 2023, in an attempt to have his competency restored, which was declared to be the case, setting the case back on track.
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