The trial of accused Davis stabbing suspect Carlos Reales Dominguez was put on hold Thursday after the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office agreed he is not mentally competent for the court proceedings.
Dominguez will be sent to a state hospital for treatment, but there is no timeline for when the California Department of State Hospitals could deem him fit for trial, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven said.
The 21-year-old former UC Davis student faces charges for allegedly killing two people and critically injuring another in a series of stabbings this spring. Last month, a court-appointed doctor found Dominguez was not able to understand his trial and assist in his defense. The District Attorney’s Office disagreed with the doctor’s report and challenged it, requesting a jury determine whether Dominguez is competent.
“We stand by that decision to challenge the findings,” Raven said in an emailed statement on Friday. “However, based on the information that came out in trial and the recently initiated involuntary medication proceedings, we are now in agreement that Mr. Dominguez is presently not competent to stand trial.”
Raven said state hospitals are overcrowded, so Dominguez won’t be sent to one immediately. Restoring Dominguez’s competency could take weeks or months, Raven said, adding some individuals are never deemed fit for trial. If the state hospital deems him competent, Raven said Dominguez will receive a new court date.
The court-appointed doctor who examined Dominguez, Dr. Juliana Rohrer, said he is a “textbook example of schizophrenia.” In the jury trial last week, Rohrer pointed to Dominguez’s ability to sit completely still for up to seven to eight hours as evidence.
“I think that would be one of the hardest things for anybody to ever fake,” Rohrer said. “I’ve worked in a prison for years and I’ve seen a lot of individuals trying to fake things and generally they tend to pick things that are not going to make them uncomfortable.”
Dominguez has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and another of attempted murder, with enhancements for the premeditated and violent nature of the alleged crimes. He faces charges for killing 50-year-old David Breaux and 20-year-old Karim Abou Najm, as well as critically injuring 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory.
CapRadio’s Kate Wolffe contributed to this story.
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