WOODLAND, Calif. — A Yolo County Superior Court judge on Thursday set new pretrial and trial dates for Carlos Reales Dominguez, the former UC Davis student charged in connection with the 2023 Davis stabbing attacks that left two men dead and a woman seriously injured, scheduling a retrial for May 2026 following a mistrial last year.
Judge Samuel T. McAdam established updated deadlines during a trial-setting hearing, resetting the case after a June 2025 mistrial that followed weeks of jury deliberations.
The attacks occurred over less than a week in late April and early May 2023 and left 50-year-old David Breaux and 20-year-old Karim Abou Najm dead, while 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory was seriously injured. The incidents prompted widespread fear and heightened public safety concerns across the UC Davis campus and throughout the city of Davis.
Dominguez previously went to trial in May 2025, but the case ended in a mistrial after jurors acquitted him on two counts of first-degree murder and deadlocked on the remaining charges, leaving open the possibility of a retrial on unresolved counts. Jurors in that trial deliberated for several weeks before the mistrial was declared.
At Thursday’s hearing, McAdam ordered jury questionnaires to be distributed May 18, marking the start of jury selection. Formal jury selection is expected to begin May 21, with trial sessions scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
The retrial is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks, potentially extending into early August if proceedings continue without significant delays.
The hearing also addressed ongoing discovery and records issues, with the court reviewing multiple subpoenas and outstanding materials as both sides prepare for trial. In discussing records connected to the health care company Wellpath, McAdam referenced signed HIPAA orders authorizing the release of protected medical information for use in the upcoming proceedings.
Subpoenas issued to cannabis dispensaries Artist Tree and Club 420 were also discussed. Deputy District Attorney Matt Demoura said the subpoenaed records had been sent to his office and then delivered back to the court, though he said he would follow up to confirm they had been received and formally filed.
Several subpoenas addressed during the hearing involve cannabis-related entities and medical providers, a point of significance given the role Dominguez’s mental health played in the prior trial.
During the original trial, extensive witness testimony focused on Dominguez’s mental health, with multiple medical experts diagnosing him with schizophrenia. A Sacramento Bee report on the case also noted that the District Attorney’s Office previously advanced a theory that Dominguez’s prolonged and heavy cannabis use may have contributed to his mental condition at the time of the attacks.
The court also set juror hardship screening for Friday, May 15, at 9 a.m. Pretrial motions are scheduled to be heard May 7 at 1:30 p.m., with all motions due April 23, oppositions due April 30, and reply briefs due May 5.
Both parties were ordered to submit trial materials by April 23, including a draft jury questionnaire, proposed jury instructions, verdict forms, exhibit and witness lists, a statement of the case, and trial briefs for both phases of the trial.
A status conference was scheduled for March 26 in Department 14 to monitor discovery progress and trial preparation. McAdam said that if additional records are needed, counsel may file an ex parte request with notice to all parties, and brief hearings can be set as necessary.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
