WOODLAND, Calif. – One day after a Yolo County jury convicted Carlos Reales Dominguez of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2023 Davis stabbing deaths of David Breaux and Karim Abou Najim, a Yolo County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the former UC Davis student was legally insane at the time of the killings, concluding the criminal trial with an order for a state hospital evaluation.
Judge Samuel T. McAdam presided over the proceedings in Yolo County Superior Court, with Deputy District Attorney Matt De Moura representing the prosecution and Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson representing Dominguez.
Before turning to the sanity phase of the proceedings, the court resolved one final issue from the guilt phase, finding Enhancement A, infliction of great bodily injury, to be true.
The case then moved into the sanity phase after Dominguez waived his right to have a jury decide the issue. Both the prosecution and defense agreed that Judge McAdam could rely on the evidence presented during the guilt phase, along with the testimony of the expert witnesses who testified during the trial, and no additional witnesses were called.
Dominguez had previously been found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state hospital for treatment before doctors later determined he had regained competency, allowing the criminal proceedings to resume.
Before announcing his ruling, Judge McAdam reviewed the legal standard governing insanity findings under California law, explaining that the burden rests with the defense because the “defendant must prove that it is more likely than not that he was legally insane when committing the crime.”
Judge McAdam said the evidence presented throughout the trial overwhelmingly supported that conclusion. He noted that all three mental health experts who evaluated Dominguez diagnosed him with schizophrenia and ultimately agreed that he was legally insane at the time of the offenses.
Referring to the testimony presented during the trial, Judge McAdam concluded Dominguez “was incapable of knowing or understanding that he was acting in a morally or legally wrong way.”
Based on those findings, the court declared Carlos Dominguez legally insane and ordered preparation of a Conditional Release Program (CONREP) report to assist in determining the appropriate placement for him at a state hospital.
The ruling means the court will next determine whether Dominguez should be committed to a state hospital rather than sentenced to serve his term in prison, pursuant to California law governing defendants found legally insane.
Although Dominguez faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months on the involuntary manslaughter convictions, prosecutors indicated they intend to file a petition seeking his commitment to a state hospital. If granted, the commitment could extend beyond the maximum prison term because it would be based on his mental condition and continued dangerousness rather than the underlying criminal sentence.
Judge McAdam then called all 16 jurors into the courtroom and thanked them for completing nearly 10 weeks of service in a case that drew significant public attention throughout Yolo County and the UC Davis community.
Before excusing them, McAdam instructed jurors that they must wait 90 days before accepting compensation for providing information about the case and advised them to avoid engaging with public commentary regarding the trial.
Following the hearing, Yolo County District Attorney Melinda Aiello released a statement reflecting on the conclusion of the case.
Aiello expressed her condolences to the family and friends of David Breaux, widely known in Davis as the “Compassion Guy,” and Karim Abou Najim, a UC Davis senior who was nearing graduation when he was killed. She also commended survivor Kimberlee Guillory for what she described as her resilience throughout the case.
Aiello also praised the work of the Davis Police Department, the prosecution team and the jurors, saying their efforts helped bring the lengthy proceedings to a conclusion while recognizing the lasting impact the killings had on both the UC Davis campus and the Davis community.
Addressing the testimony presented during the trial, Aiello noted evidence of Dominguez’s severe psychosis and daily use of high-potency cannabis before the onset of schizophrenia while acknowledging the challenges prosecutors face in cases involving serious mental illness.
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, we respect the role of the jury in our justice system and thank each juror for the significant sacrifice they made in serving our community,” Aiello said.
Further proceedings are scheduled for Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in Department 14 of Yolo County Superior Court.
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