Carlos Dominguez, who is accused of stabbing three people in Davis and killing two, was acquitted on first-degree murder charges in the death of David Breaux and Karim Najm. Jurors were able to come to a unanimous verdict on the first-degree murder charges but were unable to come to a verdict regarding the second-degree murder charges.

The jury foreperson explained jurors were deadlocked 10-2, with the 10 believing Dominguez was not guilty. Each juror confirmed individually that they believed further deliberation would not result in a change in outcome, so the judge declared a mistrial for the second-degree murder charges.

Dominguez pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court documents. With his insanity plea, Dominguez admits to the stabbings, but claims his schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the gravity of his actions. Prosecutors argue the attacks were premeditated in response to his personal struggles.

In April and May of 2023, Dominguez, a former student at UC Davis, carried out a series of stabbings near the campus, resulting in two deaths and one injury. These incidents occurred shortly after Dominguez was dismissed from the university for academic reasons on April 25, 2023.

On April 27, David Breaux, a 50-year-old known locally as the “Compassion Guy,” was found fatally stabbed in Central Park.

On April 29, 20-year-old UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm was killed in a stabbing at Sycamore Park.

On May 1, 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory was attacked and stabbed while in her tent but survived.

The series of assaults left the community in fear, prompting businesses to close early and causing many students to avoid going to class. Defense Attorney Daniel Hutchinson explained to the jurors it wasn’t about “who did it,” but rather “what was Carlos Reales Dominguez’s specific intent and mental state when he did those physical acts.”

The defendant himself testified, admitting to having schizophrenia and experiencing symptoms leading up to the stabbing spree. Dominguez described seeing “shadow figures,” telling the court he believed he was hunting those figures and not real people.

“I started to realize that the people that I thought were shadow shapeshifters, that I had stabbed, were actual people,” he said on the stand.

He denied remembering the stabbings during cross-examination from the prosecution, continually repeating phrases like, “I don’t remember killing him” when pressed about motive. The prosecution’s theory for the motive behind the stabbings was hypothesized to be anger from a breakup with his girlfriend and being dismissed from UC Davis.

Dominguez also testified to his background, which was tumultuous, according to his accounts. According to documented testimony, Dominguez’s childhood could have left a traumatic impact as his parents left Dominguez in the care of his grandmother while they emigrated to the United States from El Salvador, and then they had him illegally smuggled into the U.S. years later.

Dominguez was raised by his grandmother for most of his childhood, and he recounted abuse he faced at the hands of a maid when he was a child.

“I remember she said she had something to show me, and she took me into one of the rooms of the house and she started getting undressed and she got me undressed,” Domiguez testified in court.

He also said he was detained by immigration officials as a child, as well as witnessed abuse between his parents.

A date for the mistrial has not been announced at the time of writing.

This is a breaking story. Updates will come as they are made available.