WOODLAND, CA – The evidentiary phase of Carlos Reales Dominguez’s trial proceeded Monday, with Deputy Public Defender Daniel Hutchinson calling multiple character witnesses to testify. During the morning session, DPD Hutchinson continued the examination of Dominguez’s father, whose cross-examination by Deputy District Attorney Matt De Moura extended into the afternoon. Following that, Hutchinson called Dominguez’s younger sister and his ex-girlfriend to the stand.
Dominguez is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, with all charges carrying enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon—a knife he purchased on Amazon in December 2022.
The latter part of Dominguez’s father’s testimony focused on the last times Dominguez returned home to Tracy, with his family most recently seeing him in mid-March 2023, about a month before the alleged stabbings.
DDA De Moura questioned Dominguez’s father about what he knew of his son’s life at UC Davis, particularly in December 2022. The father testified that he was unaware of Dominguez’s financial struggles with rent or roommate issues at the time.
However, he did say he observed changes in Dominguez’s behavior when he was home in December 2022 and January 2023, which he attributed to academic stress and a recent breakup with his former girlfriend.
Dominguez returned home again in March 2023 for spring break and his younger brother’s birthday. While there, his father often saw him “staring blankly at nothing,” appearing to be “deep in thought,” he testified.
“He would not stare for seconds, but for a lot [of time],” Dominguez’s father told the court.
When Dominguez was preparing to return to UC Davis after spring break, his father expressed concern and recommended that he stay home. Dominguez did not give a clear response but returned to Davis regardless. His father testified that he respected his son’s decision.
After the father’s testimony, DPD Hutchinson called Dominguez’s younger sister. Her testimony centered on their sibling relationship.
She recalled that while Dominguez was in high school, the family lived in Oakland and both parents worked long hours—her mother in fast food and her father as a plumber. As a result, Dominguez and her other brother took care of her while their parents were away.
She described Dominguez as a “good babysitter” who would cook and clean while watching over her.
“We would just hang out,” she told the court. “[We would] talk, play around, play board games, [and] watch movies.”
Hutchinson asked if she remembered Dominguez having a YouTube channel in high school. She confirmed, explaining that the channel featured lighthearted pranks and challenge videos.
“We would just do challenges… The only one I remember is getting a bunch of random food, blending it, and [Carlos] would eat it,” she recalled. “He would gag… But he would laugh after. He was fun, and he was always joking around… [and being] playful.”
She said she enjoyed participating in and watching Dominguez’s videos.
When asked about Dominguez’s high school athletics, she testified that she attended his football games with her family. She confirmed that he never engaged in rough or aggressive conduct during games, noting that his team rarely won—a comment that drew chuckles in the courtroom. Dominguez, whose expression has remained largely blank throughout the trial, appeared to smile slightly.
Hutchinson then asked about her observations of Dominguez leading up to his arrest. She said the last time she saw him was in December 2022 and didn’t recall a visit in March 2023. That December, she began noticing changes.
“He was skinnier, he wouldn’t take care of himself, and when he would watch movies, he would stare into the walls… all the time.” When she asked what he was looking at, Dominguez told her “he was seeing things.”
She told the court she had no knowledge of mental illness or schizophrenia at the time and did not inform her parents of his behavior. However, she noticed other changes.
“He wouldn’t take care of himself; he wouldn’t cut his hair, he wouldn’t eat as much,” she said. “My mom would make him eat [because she was concerned].”
Dominguez also withdrew from the family, she said, spending most of his time alone. This was a drastic change from his freshman year at UC Davis, when he regularly called home multiple times per week. In early 2023, she said he rarely answered messages or calls.
In February 2023, she reached out to Dominguez’s ex-girlfriend, who had already ended their relationship, to express concern. The ex-girlfriend shared contact information for Dominguez’s roommate. Her other brother reached out to the roommate but didn’t receive specific information in return.
Ultimately, she remembered Dominguez visiting in March 2023, and again noted that he spent most of his time alone in his room, often staring into space.
On cross-examination, DDA De Moura asked whether she remembered Dominguez and their other brother fighting in March. She did not recall a fight but remembered their parents having to separate them.
After the sister’s testimony, the defense called Dominguez’s ex-girlfriend to the stand.
Under direct examination, she described the course of their relationship and behavioral changes she observed. She testified that she met Dominguez in fall 2020 through a mutual friend at UC Davis during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they began dating in January 2021.
She described him as initially attentive, driven, and well-groomed, with “pristine hygiene.” He was quiet but friendly, “always clean-shaven, always showered, [and] never had body odor.”
In 2021, Dominguez adopted her foster kitten, Ember. “He was very gentle with the kitten,” she said. When asked if he behaved like a responsible pet owner, she confirmed that he did.
However, she began noticing troubling changes in the latter half of their sophomore year. Dominguez started skipping classes, missing assignments, withdrawing socially, and losing weight. His hygiene declined, and he spent more time alone drawing or making music in his apartment.
She also said he became more careless with caring for Ember, including neglecting to clean the litter box, feed the cat regularly, or ensure he had water.
When asked if Dominguez ever spoke to himself, she testified, “He would say something under his breath” when he believed strangers were speaking negatively about him.
She recalled one incident where Dominguez confronted a man in her apartment complex, wrongly accusing him of making negative remarks. The exchange escalated into a physical altercation, though the man denied ever speaking to or about Dominguez.
“They definitely didn’t say anything about him,” she told the court.
She also testified that Dominguez grew distant from his family. “They [his parents] didn’t seem the most present,” she said, adding that while he had been close with his siblings, that connection weakened as his behavior changed.
During their sophomore year, Dominguez told her “the devil had spoken to him in his dreams,” she testified. She said she was unfamiliar with serious mental illness and unsure how to help.
As her concern for both Dominguez and her own wellbeing grew, Hutchinson asked, “Did you know, at nineteen years old, what steps you could take to try to get help for someone who suffers from mental illness?” She replied that she did not.
She ended the relationship in spring 2022 for her own mental health and because of concerns about Dominguez’s condition. “We spent a lot of time indoors, in the dark. I needed to get out of that situation,” she said.
Despite breaking up, they remained in contact. She testified that Dominguez continued to decline—his appearance became more disheveled, his weight dropped further, and he remained emotionally distant and isolated.
Court adjourned before Hutchinson completed his direct examination of Dominguez’s former girlfriend. She is expected to resume her testimony Tuesday.
Judge Samuel T. McAdam announced that the trial will reconvene Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
Wow. This is extremely well written. DG, you should keep these two around.
Not to mention a compelling story of D’s decline.
Agreed – They really did a good job with it.