WOODLAND, CA – The jury trial of Carlos Reales Dominguez reconvened Thursday in Department 14 of Yolo County Superior Court before Judge Samuel T. McAdam, featuring expert testimony, an eyewitness account, and a defense challenge to the reliability of multiple witness statements.
Dominguez is charged with two counts of murder in the stabbing deaths of David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm, as well as one count of attempted murder for the stabbing of Kimberlee Guillory, all of which occurred in Davis in the spring of 2023. He also faces sentence enhancements for the alleged use of a deadly weapon.
Pretrial Motions and Expert Witnesses
Before the jury entered, the court ruled on pretrial motions. Dominguez’s attorney moved to exclude a poem found in the accused’s phone that included the line “a knife in my hand.” Judge McAdam denied the motion, ruling that the poem was relevant as it was “related to the subject of the matter.”
Judge McAdam also ruled that autopsy and crime scene photos could be shown to the jury, finding them “not gratuitous or excessive” and relevant to the testimony presented by expert witnesses.
Crime scene technician Sheri Kolb was called to testify about physical evidence recovered from the scene of David Breaux’s death. Kolb identified a leather sheath at the crime scene and reviewed additional evidence, including bloodstained clothing.
Following Kolb, the prosecution called Dr. Sarah Avedeschmidt, a board-certified forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy of Karim Abou Najm. The court qualified her as an expert in forensic pathology. Dr. Avedeschmidt testified that Abou Najm sustained 52 sharp force injuries, including 12 stab wounds—defined as wounds where the depth exceeds the surface length. “The cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries,” she said.
Eyewitness Testimony and Defense Objections
In the afternoon, a Davis resident was called to testify about spotting someone he believed matched the police description of the suspect near Sycamore Park on May 3, 2023. He testified that he followed the individual through the park and along nearby streets before alerting police.
The witness initially tried to remain anonymous but eventually emailed Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson to share what he described as important information about Dominguez’s behavior and mental state. When asked whether Dominguez’s behavior seemed strange, the witness replied that it was “strange for someone being followed.” He described Dominguez as appearing “deranged” and noted he was wearing the same clothing as described in prior police reports. He also testified that Dominguez walked calmly even as police pursued him and later returned to Sycamore Park.
The defense challenged the reliability of witness statements by introducing testimony from Detective Mariano Lopez, who canvassed the Sycamore Park area during the investigation. Detective Lopez testified that two unhoused individuals told him they saw someone running from 3rd Street into Downtown Davis wearing a gray top. Lopez acknowledged he had prior contact with both individuals and knew they had used methamphetamines but did not ask whether they were under the influence on the night in question. Police later determined that the person they described was not Dominguez but a nearby restaurant worker.
Contamination of Testimony Alleged
Aaron Moe, a full-time investigator for the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, also testified. Moe had been tasked with examining AT&T and Amazon records related to the accused and investigating the make and model of the knife used in the attacks. He also conducted interviews with 10 to 20 witnesses, including Kimberlee Guillory, the surviving victim.
Defense Attorney Hutchinson pointed to one comment made by Guillory during her interview with Moe, in which she said it “makes me sick that he is crying mental.” Hutchison argued that Guillory’s testimony may have been contaminated by prior information given to her by the two unhoused individuals, who claimed Dominguez had been at a local encampment earlier in the day. Hutchinson contended that this information may have led Guillory to believe she was being stalked by Dominguez prior to the attack and that it could “cause her to reevaluate what she believes.”
He argued that the integrity of her testimony had been compromised by these unverified claims, calling into question the reliability of her identification and interpretation of the events.
The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 9.
