WOODLAND, Calif. (CN) — A doctor who rushed to the aid of a Davis, California, stabbing victim heard the suspect tell people to leave him alone before fleeing on a bicycle, officers testified Monday in a preliminary hearing for Carlos Dominguez.
That doctor told authorities he approached the scene in Sycamore Park after hearing a man yell for help. He saw someone standing over a man later identified as Karim Abou Najm, 20 — one of two people fatally stabbed last April.
“He heard a male voice yelling, ‘Somebody help me, oh my God, help me,’” Davis Police Corporal Pheng Ly testified.
“The suspect told (the doctor) something to the effect of, ‘What’s going on? Why are you bothering me? Leave me alone,’” Pheng added.
Authorities say Najm was the second of three victims Dominguez stabbed in late April and early May 2023. David Henry Breaux, 50, was killed on April 27, Najm was murdered on April 29, and Kimberly Guillory, who survived, was stabbed multiple times on May 1.
Officers arrested Dominguez, 22, on May 3. Initially determined to be incompetent to stand trial, Dominguez had his competency restored in January. He faces two counts of murder and a count of attempted murder, to which he's pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors on Monday told Yolo County Superior Court Judge Samuel McAdam they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against Dominguez.
The stabbings that put the city of Davis on edge started with the discovery of Breaux’s body in Central Park, Davis Police Sergeant Antonia Dias testified.
“There was a report of a male, possible transient, on a bench who hadn’t been moving,” she said.
In fact, Breaux was well known in the community as an author and creator of the “Compassion Bench.”
A red blanket and Smith & Wesson-branded knife sheath were found near the body, Davis Police Detective Alex Torres testified. Detective Michael Yu later testified that Dominguez had a Smith & Wesson fixed-blade knife in a bag when he was apprehended.
Additionally, Dominguez said he was at both parks on the days of the stabbings when questioned by police.
Ly said the doctor who aided Najm gave a physical description of the suspect — a white or Hispanic man, with light-colored skin, about 19 or 20 years old, standing 5-feet, 8 inches tall and between 130 and 140 pounds with long, black hair.
The doctor chased after the suspect, who was on a bicycle, but couldn’t catch him. An officer later found a bicycle in the area where the suspect fled.
On May 1, 2023 — two days after Najm’s death — Guillory was stabbed in her tent at a homeless encampment at Second and L streets in Davis.
“She felt like she’d basically got punched through the tent,” said Davis Police Sergeant Mathew Muscardini, adding that Guillory didn’t realize she’d been stabbed until some time after the attack.
Police arrested Dominguez two days after Guillory’s stabbing. Identifying himself to officers as “John Joas,” Dominguez was found with a Halloween-themed bag with a knife in it. He had cuts on both hands, Detective Michael Yu testified.
“He said the knife was a part of him,” Muscardini said.
During a police interview, Dominguez gave conflicting answers about himself, Muscardini said. He gave two different dates when asked for his birthday, and a nonexistent address for his home.
However, he told police that he walked at Central Park the day Breaux died, was near the playground at the park where Najm was stabbed, and said he was near the tents on the day Guillory was injured.
Dominguez also at one point tried to walk out of the interview room, though he’d been told he faced murder charges. He said he wanted to go for a walk, Muscardini said.
The start of Dominguez’s preliminary hearing on Monday is the latest step on a winding legal path for the former University of California-Davis student. It came after a roller coaster ride that last year put Dominguez in a state hospital after he was found incompetent to stand trial. Doctors at his competency trial testified that he had the traits of someone with schizophrenia.
After spending some time in a state hospital, his competency was restored, setting the stage for the resumption of his criminal proceedings.
Judge McAdam must determine if enough probable cause exists to advance the case to trial. Probable cause is a lower standard than beyond a reasonable doubt, and no jury is present for this preliminary proceeding.
The hearing, set to continue Tuesday, could continue through Thursday.
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