Police announce arrest in serial stabbing case that has terrorized Davis
Davis Police investigate the site where a homeless woman was stabbed several times through the side of her tent this week.
Davis police on Thursday named a recent UC Davis student as the suspect in stabbings that left two men dead and one woman in critical condition in the bucolic college town just west of Sacramento.
Carlos Reales Dominguez, 21, was arrested on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said at an afternoon news conference.
“It’s because of the fine police work that we are here today to announce that the individual believed to be responsible for these horrific, brutal attacks is no longer free to terrorize our community,” Davis Mayor Will Arnold said. “A murderer is off the streets, and our families will sleep easier tonight.”
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Dominguez was in his third year at UC Davis, where he was majoring in biological sciences, until April 25, when he was separated for academic reasons, according to the university. He had no criminal record, police said.
Two days after UC Davis ousted Dominguez, on April 27, authorities found the body of 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, a Stanford University graduate who slept in Davis’ Central Park and was known around town for his gentle proselytizing on the need for human compassion. Breaux had been stabbed to death on the bench where he slept.
It was the first of three attacks authorities attribute to Dominguez.
Two days later, Karim Abou Najm, a UC Davis student, was stabbed and killed in Sycamore Park as he biked home from a university event Saturday night.
Monday night, a homeless woman in her 60s was attacked as she slept at 2nd and L streets, near railroad tracks on the downtown edge. The woman was alone when a person slashed the side of her tent, reached in and stabbed her several times. She was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where she underwent surgery and is recovering.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pytel said, about 15 callers near Sycamore Park reported seeing a person who matched the description of the suspect provided by police after the third attack and who was dressed in similar clothing — a black sweatshirt and black Adidas track pants with white stripes. One caller followed the suspect and led police to him.
Officers interviewed Dominguez and asked if he’d be willing to come to the police station for further questioning, to which he agreed. Police initially arrested him on suspicion of possessing a large, “hunting style” knife that was “consistent with one we were looking for based on evidence from the first homicide,” Pytel said.
Physical evidence indicated that the victims had fought back, the chief said, and Dominguez had injuries on his hands and wrists when police encountered him.
Police described Dominguez’ demeanor as “reserved” and said he spoke with detectives for a long time. They declined to detail the conversation.
As the investigation continues, police on Thursday blocked off Hawthorn Lane in a residential neighborhood near Sycamore Park and in walking distance of the attacks. Officers and FBI agents were on the scene as people wearing white hazmat suits went in and out of a home on the street.
Pytel confirmed Dominguez lived in the home, and said they have spoken with his roommates.
Lila Simpson, 20, who lives five houses away, said officers had knocked on her door Wednesday afternoon and asked for security camera footage. About 1 a.m., she said, she noticed an unmarked law enforcement car pull up in front of the nearby house.
Simpson said she doesn’t know the person who lives there and believes it’s a rental.
The spate of violence had terrified residents and sent a chill through a laid-back college town that usually bustles with bikers and joggers, its parks bursting with dog walkers and the sights and sounds of youth sports.
California Three brutal stabbings spark fears of serial killer in Davis After a third person was viciously stabbed in less than a week, Davis police conducted a yard-to-yard search for the assailant but came up empty-handed.
FBI agents and homicide detectives from around the region streamed in to help the small Police Department. Davis — surrounded by fields of sunflowers and tomatoes and orchards of almonds and peaches — is said to be so safe that many residents don’t lock their doors and young children frequently bike or walk to school alone. Before the stabbings, the last reported homicide in city limits was in 2019, according to officials.
In recent days, the city’s street cafes and extensive network of bike paths have emptied out as residents hunkered down.
The city’s popular Little League canceled night games. UC Davis made evening classes remote, and some professors moved daytime classes online because students have been afraid to leave their dorms. Numerous businesses around town started shutting their doors early. The city’s famed farmers market called off its fruit stands and food trucks Wednesday.
And many people who hadn’t locked their homes in months began digging through drawers, looking for their keys.
Source: Los Angeles Times
