Woodland, CA – The former girlfriend of Carlos Dominguez resumed her testimony this morning in Yolo County Superior Court, providing further insight into Dominguez’s deteriorating mental health, his unusual behavior, and the breakdown of their relationship in the months leading up to the Davis stabbings.
The ex-girlfriend explained that she visited Dominguez at his residence around 10 times between September and December 2022. Despite having broken up earlier, she maintained that they remained on friendly terms, and she was concerned for his well-being.
During these visits, she described Dominguez as quieter and more withdrawn, stating that he was “doing his own thing,” which she referred to as his “new normal.” She explained that Dominguez would mostly spend time working on music.
She noticed that his cat, Ember, was no longer being cared for the same way as before. The litter box was unkempt, and she wasn’t sure whether the cat was being properly fed. Ember, once kept indoors, had started going outside regularly.
She stopped visiting Dominguez in December 2022, around the time she began seeing someone new. When she informed him of her new relationship, he responded appropriately. In the following weeks, Dominguez texted her 2 to 4 times, asking if she wanted to hang out. Around this time, she received messages from his younger siblings, saying he wasn’t answering their calls. She noted that Dominguez had always been family-oriented, making his lack of response seem out of character.
She contacted Dominguez’s housemate to express her concern. When asked why she did not reach out to Dominguez’s parents, she explained that his mother didn’t speak English, and his father only spoke limited English. She felt it was not her responsibility to contact them.
The former girlfriend was aware of the stabbings in Davis and learned of Dominguez’s arrest through media reports. She shared that she felt emotionally overwhelmed and initially did not want to testify when subpoenaed in 2023. However, in 2024, she was subpoenaed again and agreed to testify, stating that no one in Davis knew Dominguez better than she did.
Under cross-examination, she stated that Dominguez had never been physically violent toward her. However, she described one incident where he became audibly aggressive with a stranger and attempted to tackle him. She also mentioned that Dominguez tried to exit a moving car after the incident.
When questioned about his temper, she did not believe he had one. She recalled one early incident during their relationship when she discovered that Dominguez had punched a hole in a dorm wall.
The former girlfriend noted that Dominguez often believed others were talking about him. He would sometimes mutter, “What’d you say about him?” under his breath when around others. His tone would change, and he would remain upset for the rest of the day.
She testified that although Dominguez initially took their breakup well, he later tried to reconnect by making physical advances, though he never directly expressed a desire to get back together. She believed the breakup took a toll on him.
Regarding their cat, Ember, the ex-girlfriend said they had fostered it together. She raised concerns about the cat’s care, but Dominguez became irritated and told her he would take care of Ember however he wanted. She dropped the topic after that.
During redirect examination, the former girlfriend confirmed that the last time she saw Dominguez was when she testified in 2023. She said he appeared emotionless and expressionless at that hearing. In court this morning, she remarked that he now looked more like the person she had originally dated.
Following her testimony, the prosecution called Davis Police Department Detective Christopher Ritter. He testified that he reviewed surveillance footage as part of the investigation. Ritter explained that he obtained a search warrant and reviewed video from an ATM near Memorial Union at the UC Davis campus around midnight. The footage showed a man with a bicycle.
However, under cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed to inconsistencies in the timeline. They noted that while the footage shows a van at 12:44, the man with the bicycle appears at 12:03.
The defense also called two university witnesses.
Joyce Fernandez, an academic advisor, testified that she sent Dominguez a disqualification notice from UC Davis on April 23, 2023. She confirmed that she never spoke to him directly and only communicated via email.
Ebony McClain, Director of Undergraduate Advising for the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis, discussed Dominguez’s appeal following his academic disqualification. She explained that he filed the appeal in January 2023 but provided very little information. She also testified that UC Davis has processes in place for students experiencing conditions like schizophrenia, including retroactive withdrawals.
McClain noted that Dominguez scheduled an appointment with the advising office for May 2 but did not attend.
