Mistrial declared in Davis stabbings trial; jury found Carlos Dominguez not guilty of first-degree murder
A mistrial was declared in the trial of Carlos Dominguez, the former UC Davis student accused of going on a deadly stabbing spree in 2023.
On Friday, the Yolo County jury revealed that they unanimously found Dominguez not guilty of first-degree murder.
On second-degree murder charges,10 jurors were in favor of finding Dominguez not guilty, while two held out on a guilty verdict.
"The simple question is, do you need more time? Would it be helpful, do you think you can overcome the differences?" Judge Samuel T. McAdam asked the jury.
Each of the twelve jurors responded "no," explaining they had been deadlocked for a week.
With the case declared a mistrial by the judge, a new trial is expected to take place on the second-degree charge and lesser charges. Dominguez cannot be retried on first-degree murder.
A new trial setting conference is scheduled for July 24.
Dominguez pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2023 stabbing spree that saw two people, David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm, killed and a third, Kimberlee Guillory, wounded.
Abou Najm's parents were devastated by Friday's verdict and mistrial.
"Today is stab number 53," his mother Nadine Yehya told CBS13, referencing the fact that Abou Najm was stabbed 52 times.
"We are the victims, the silenced majority. All the victims understand our pain. Only people who lost dear ones will understand our pain," Karim's father, Majdi Abou Najm, said.
Breaux's sister Maria was also in attendance Friday and said her biggest focus is keeping her late brother's memory alive, who was lovingly known as the "Compassion Guy" in the Davis community.
"That's the most important thing to me right now. I'm holding him in my heart, remembering his mission. I'm not tied to a specific outcome right now other than whatever the most compassionate outcome would be," Maria Breaux said. "I think this is part of the justice process. Justice means fairness. It means weighing evidence, carefully considering all the information you are given."
Proceedings were initially put on hold after the former UC Davis student's arrest after he was found not competent to stand trial. However, the trial resumed towards the end of 2024 when a reevaluation determined Dominguez was now competent.
Jurors were deciding on the charges of first-degree murder or second-degree murder for the killings of Breaux and Najm, and attempted murder in Guillory's stabbing.
At the center of the case was never whether or not Dominguez committed the stabbings, but rather the intent.
Dominguez took the stand for two days to testify in his own trial and admitted that after being treated for schizophrenia following his arrest, he eventually understood what he did.
"I started to realize that the people I thought were shadow shape shifters I had stabbed were actual people," said Dominguez on June 3.
Closing arguments concluded on June 6, with Dominguez's defense claiming he was suffering from psychosis at the time of the attacks. Prosecutors focused their case on trying to prove the actions were premeditated, regardless of Dominguez's mental state.
A number of people – including Dominguez's family, his ex-girlfriend, a former professor, along with health care professionals and law enforcement officers – were brought in to testify in the trial.
Prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty against Dominguez if he had been found guilty.
It is likely the prosecution will move forward with retrying the case, but it is not off the table for them to enter into plea negotiations in the meantime. Dominguez will remain in jail with no bail.
"Is it discouraging to have to go through a trial like this again?" reporter Ashley Sharp asked Majdi Abou Najm.
"Absolutely. It was a nightmare. The fact we will have to pass through it again is unbearable," Majdi responded.
