WOODLAND, CA – The trial of Carlos Dominguez reconvened Thursday morning in Yolo County Superior Court with additional testimony from Dr. Stephen Weiner, a forensic psychiatrist, and a second witness from the Davis Police Department. As the trial nears the end of the evidentiary phase, jury instructions are also being finalized.
Before testimony began, the court addressed and ruled on several evidentiary issues raised by both the prosecution and the defense.
Deputy District Attorney Frits Van Der Hoek called Dr. Weiner to the stand for further questioning. Dr. Weiner, who had previously interviewed Dominguez, was asked about statements the accused made regarding the fatal stabbing of David Breaux.
“Regarding the murder of David Breaux, Mr. Dominguez told me he was out for a bike ride during the evening—to get some fresh air—and ended up in Central Park,” Dr. Weiner testified. “He sat on a bench… at one point, he noticed a figure of some sort. He referred to it as a ‘shadow figure’ sitting adjacent to him on the bench.”
Dr. Weiner continued, “At that point, he began to grow paranoid. He also told me—sort of for the first time in the history of his symptoms—that he heard clear voices. Up until then, he had only heard whispers.”
According to Dr. Weiner, Dominguez reported that, while sitting next to Breaux, he heard a distinct voice say, “You won’t do it, you won’t do it,” in a taunting manner.
Dominguez became increasingly paranoid and, in a state of fear, “lunged at what he saw was a shadow figure,” Dr. Weiner testified.
When asked whether Dominguez recalled using a knife during the incident, Dr. Weiner responded, “Yes.”
The prosecution emphasized Dominguez’s phrasing during the interview, specifically the line: “I saw a shadow figure sitting next to me on the bench.” DDA Van Der Hoek asked whether Dr. Weiner understood that to mean they were sitting on the same bench.
Dr. Weiner replied that he might have interpreted it that way but had not asked for clarification. “We were referring to ‘bench’ in nonspecific terms,” he said. He added that his understanding was simply that “there was a park, there was a bench, and they were sitting on a bench.”
DDA Van Der Hoek then referenced another portion of Dr. Weiner’s notes from his interview with Dominguez: “I went for a walk at Sycamore Park. I was on my way home when some ‘dude’ just came into the bike path and he was pointing in my direction and doing something weird and making a laughing gesture with his hand… I got in his way to see if he would stop but we collided and he fell backwards and I fell the opposite way and all I remember is lunging at him with a knife.”
Dominguez also reportedly said he saw a flashlight and believed it was “a supernatural being… trying to get him.” The interview notes stated that he then grabbed the “other guy’s” bike and left the park.
Van Der Hoek asked whether Dominguez used terms like “shadow” and “supernatural being” interchangeably. Dr. Weiner confirmed that he did.
Dr. Weiner added that Dominguez told him, “I just wanted him to go away,” referring to the figure.
He also testified about the stabbing of William Guillory. Dominguez allegedly told him, “That time I wasn’t sure. I thought the supernatural beings were trying to get my attention again… This time I thought they were trying to scare me.” Dr. Weiner said Dominguez believed he had punched a supernatural being, not a person, and did not recall seeing blood after the encounter.
After the prosecution concluded its questioning, Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson began cross-examination.
Hutchinson asked how many times the word “shadow” appeared in the interview transcript. Using a word search tool in court, it was revealed that it appeared 40 times.
Hutchinson then asked whether Dominguez believed “shadow” and “supernatural being” were the same. Dr. Weiner replied, “In essence, that’s correct. In some of his initial hallucinations, they were shadows. They made him afraid and paranoid because they were shadows without an apparent source… It was alarming that there was a shadow he couldn’t see.”
Dr. Weiner continued, “Over time—in January and February of 2023—he began to have a delusional interpretation of the shadows, what we might think of as a delusional perception. He began to think the shadow was a supernatural being or a shapeshifter, and he began to use those terms interchangeably.”
Dr. Weiner confirmed that by the time he evaluated Dominguez, the accused was medicated and understood that he had stabbed human beings, not supernatural entities.
Hutchinson asked again whether Dominguez and David Breaux had been sitting on the same bench. Dr. Weiner said he hadn’t clarified that point initially but later followed up after a request from DDA Van Der Hoek. Dominguez reportedly clarified that they were not sitting on the same bench.
Dr. Weiner emphasized that Dominguez’s clarification did not contradict his earlier statements.
Hutchinson also revisited Dominguez’s description of lunging at the shadow figure and seeing a face that frightened him. Dr. Weiner testified, “He mentioned that the face was neutral and not attached to anything,” which prompted him to flee the scene.
Hutchinson questioned Dominguez’s use of terms like “guy” and “dude,” asking whether Dominguez, when describing the incident involving Karim Abou Najm, understood that he had stabbed a human being. Dr. Weiner replied, “Yes,” but noted that at the time of the incident, Dominguez believed the victims were supernatural beings.
Regarding the incident involving Kimberlee Guillory and the tent, Dr. Weiner said Dominguez believed he had only punched the tent. “His story was consistent,” he testified.
After the defense concluded its questioning, DDA Van Der Hoek asked additional follow-up questions, clarifying the position of the benches, Dominguez’s movement toward Abou Najm, and whether he had punched or cut Guillory’s tent.
Following a short recess, the prosecution called Jean Lyon, Deputy Director of Police Services at the Davis Police Department, as its second witness of the morning.
Lyon testified about the use of CAD (computer-aided dispatch) logs in police departments, but neither side asked case-specific questions.
The morning session ended with both parties and the judge working on finalizing jury instructions. The next witness was scheduled to testify in the afternoon.
Afternoon: Carlos Reales Dominguez Saw Supernatural Beings and Heard Voices at Time of Stabbings
The jury trial of Carlos Reales Dominguez reconvened this week in Yolo County Superior Court, with testimony from Sergeant Janell Bestpitch and clinical psychologist Dr. Sirintip Rhee shedding further light on Dominguez’s mental state during the 2023 stabbings.
Deputy District Attorney Frits P. Van Der Hoek questioned Sergeant Bestpitch about whether the Davis Police Department had any records under the name John Joas. She confirmed that a search had been conducted but no record matching that name was found.
Van Der Hoek then presented a CAD incident report documenting a bicycle stop involving an individual named John Joseph. Sergeant Bestpitch walked the court through the report, explaining the relevant details and how it was initially completed by a responding officer.
During cross-examination, Deputy Public Defender Daniel Hutchinson highlighted the similarities between Dominguez’s account of a prior police encounter and the report. Dominguez had described a white male officer driving an SUV—details that matched the report.
Hutchinson argued that “John Joseph” was close to “John Joas,” suggesting the officer may have misheard the name during the stop. He noted that Dominguez had repeatedly referred to the individual as John Joas, and that the date of birth listed in the report matched the one Dominguez gave to police and detectives.
Hutchinson concluded his questioning by asking how the report was located and when it was turned over. Sergeant Bestpitch testified that she found the report earlier that day and gave it to DDA Van Der Hoek around noon. She added that the original reporting officer had not been contacted since the report’s discovery.
Next to testify was Dr. Sirintip Rhee, a clinical psychologist who had evaluated Dominguez. During cross-examination, DDA Van Der Hoek questioned her about her report concerning Dominguez’s mental state during the stabbings.
Dr. Rhee testified that Dominguez described seeing “a shadow on the bench in the park” and feeling “paranoid and scared.” She concluded that Dominguez was “severely psychotic at the time,” which she believes led him to black out after attacking the figure.
Regarding the second stabbing, Dr. Rhee said Dominguez reported “hearing a lot of whispers.” To escape the voices, he went to a park, where he allegedly encountered what he perceived as “a supernatural being coming toward him.” According to Dr. Rhee, Dominguez claimed the being was “laughing at him and making fun of him,” prompting him to grab a knife and lunge. He then fled on his bike.
In the lead-up to the third stabbing, Dr. Rhee said Dominguez again experienced auditory hallucinations. This time, instead of going to the park, he rode to the train tracks in Davis, where he reportedly saw multiple shadows speaking to him and trying to guide him to another place.
Dr. Rhee testified that Dominguez entered a tent where he saw one of the shadows reach toward him. He stabbed the figure out of fear, but fled after hearing a scream.
During redirect, DPD Hutchinson questioned Dr. Rhee about a cover letter sent to her by DDA Van Der Hoek, which included attachments and statements from the prosecution. Dr. Rhee confirmed the letter was sent after she had already completed her evaluation and submitted her findings to the court.
Hutchinson asked if she believed Van Der Hoek had sent the letter with the intent of influencing her opinion. Dr. Rhee agreed that she believed that was the intent. However, she affirmed that her conclusions remained unchanged and that she stood by her original report.
The court concluded the evidentiary phase of the trial on Thursday, June 5. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Friday, June 6.
