New trial date set for Davis stabbings suspect Carlos Dominguez
Nearly a month after a judge declared a mistrial, a new trial date with a new jury has been set for Carlos Dominguez, the suspect in the 2023 Davis stabbings that killed two and severely injured a third person.
Dominguez had the same stonewall face in the courtroom on Thursday, but this time, he was in a striped jail jumpsuit and handcuffs.
In June 2025, a jury found Dominguez not guilty of first-degree murder but was hung on the second-degree murder and attempted murder charges. It was a devastating day for the victims' families.
"We are the victims. The silenced majority," said Majdi Abou Najm, father of victim Karim Abou Najm. "Only victims understand our pain."
Dominguez is accused of killing David Breaux, known in the community as the "Compassion Guy," and UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm, who was just about to graduate.
The lone stabbing survivor was Kimberlee Guillory, who testified during the most recent trial.
"It obviously is not the justice they want, and no one disagrees with that," said Mark Reichel, a local attorney unrelated to the case.
Reichel said the retrial will likely be more honed and intense, with both sides looking back on what worked and what did not. He believes we will likely hear from the same witnesses.
"Can we expect the attorneys to use a lot of the same tactics in presenting their same case?" I asked Reichel.
"It really is the only time that you get a dress rehearsal," Reichel said.
During Thursday's hearing, the judge asked the prosecution this question directly: "Do you anticipate a trial just like the first one with the theme of anger and retaliation?"
Prosecution responded by saying that they won't be revealing their strategy.
"I can tell the court that there could be some overlap with some of the evidence and the themes, but at this point it is premature of our trial strategy," said prosecution attorney Matthew De Moura.
In the summer of 2023, Dominguez was found incompetent to stand trial after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was then re-evaluated as competent at the end of 2024.
The new trial date is set for January 20, 2026. Families of the victims hope that this new jury will bring the justice they have been desperately waiting for.
There will be several hearings in the fall in preparation for the new trial.
The judge also asked the prosecution if they would be open to a settlement conference, to which De Moura could not answer yes or no.
