Witness: Suspect in serial stabbing case said he heard the devil in his dreams

WOODLAND, Calif. (CN) — Carlos Dominguez’s attorney on Tuesday described his client to jurors as a young man stricken by mental illness, who deteriorated from an athletic football player to a jail prisoner lying naked on the floor.

Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson said Dominguez, a former UC Davis student, is currently not competent to stand trial on charges of murder and attempted murder. Telling jurors that Dominguez said he heard the devil in his dreams, Hutchinson noted that a court-appointed doctor had already determined his client wasn’t competent. That doctor also said he has psychological disorders including schizophrenia.

“He sits there each day in his empty cell, unclothed, unmedicated, untreated for his mental illness,” Hutchinson said.

Deputy District Attorney Frits Van Der Hoek told the jury they should focus not on sympathy, but legal standards. The jury must determine if Dominguez understands the nature of his criminal proceeding, understands his own status and condition and if he can assist his attorney in a rational manner. If he can, then he’s competent under the law, the lawyer said.

The attorneys on Tuesday delivered their opening statements to jurors after spending Monday selecting a jury for the trial in Yolo County Superior Court. The jurors are tasked with determining whether Dominguez is competent, not whether he’s guilty of fatally stabbing two people in Davis in April and injuring a third.

Dominguez is being held without bond, having pleaded not guilty to the murders of David Henry Breaux, 50, and Karim Abou Najm, 20. Dominguez also faces an attempted murder charge in connection to a woman in her 60s who was stabbed multiple times in a homeless encampment on May 1.

Kimberlee Guillory survived the stabbing and called 911, leading to a manhunt that resulted in Dominguez’s arrest on May 3.

Hutchinson said people who know Dominguez would testify about how they saw his mental health decline as early as spring 2021. Multiple witnesses would testify they saw him stare motionless into space for as long as 20 minutes at a time. Others would talk about seeing Dominguez talk to himself and that he confided about hearing voices.

Hutchinson showed jurors a series of pictures, depicting Dominguez apparently healthy in November 2020, fit in June the following year, and much thinner the next June.

“And this is Carlos Dominguez today,” Hutchinson said, indicating his client.

Dominguez — who Hutchinson said hasn’t showered since his arrest and likely hasn’t brushed his teeth — sat chained at wrists and ankles in a green covering. He faced straight ahead during the proceedings.

Jurors will also hear from a doctor hired by the defense first for a neurological evaluation, then to evaluate competency. Dominguez refused to leave his cell and the doctor won’t give an opinion on competency, Hutchinson said. Another court-appointed doctor, however, is expected to testify that Dominguez isn’t competent.

A video of Dominguez and an undercover inmate will show Dominguez exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia, the attorney added.

“The question is whether he is competent now,” he added.

Van Der Hoek told jurors that evidence will show Dominguez is competent and “toying” with the justice system.

The prosecutor told jurors to expect to hear a lot of evidence about Dominguez’s mental health, but that doesn’t mean he’s incompetent to stand trial.

“There’s going to be facts, but they’re not going to show anything,” Van Der Hoek said.

Van Der Hoek referenced an interview Dominguez had with a doctor, who asked him who wrote “Hamlet.” Dominguez answered, “Dr. Seuss.”

“The evidence will show that he’s messing with her,” Van Der Hoek said of Dominguez.

“You will find that he is competent, he just doesn’t want to go along with the program,” he added.

Caley Gallardo, Dominguez’s former girlfriend, was the first witness in the trial.

She and Dominguez met their first year in college and began dating around January 2021. Dominguez was fastidious about his hygiene, quiet and reserved, she said.

But then he began withdrawing socially and they’d spend most of their time together alone. At some point she noticed he began to curse under his breath when they walked past people in public. Dominguez thought people were talking about him, Gallardo said.

“It happened quite a lot,” she added.

By mid-2022, Dominguez’s hygiene and eating habits were suffering and he’d become much skinnier.

At some point, he told her about his dreams, she said.

“I just know that he had said that — that the devil was talking to him in his dreams,” Gallardo added.

Dominguez wasn’t receptive to the idea he might have a mental illness, she said. After breaking off the relationship, she last saw him around Christmas when he delivered a gift to her: a shoebox with a “demonic” drawing on top and lingerie inside. She threw away the box after returning home.

Nathan Riego De Dios testified that he lived with Dominguez after meeting him through an online class. Their friendship weakened during their time living together. Riego De Dios said he saw Dominguez between three to five times moving his lips, as if he were talking.

Another roommate, Marc Capito, testified that Dominguez told him he heard voices. During roommate meetings, they’d have to call Dominguez’s name several times to stop him from staring and being unresponsive.

Capito also testified about Dominguez’s cannabis and alcohol use, and speculated that he used mushrooms, as well.

The last time Capito saw Dominguez was the day before his arrest, passing by him in their house. Dominguez was wearing the clothes that matched a suspect description.

The trial will continue Wednesday morning.