Year after Davis stabbing spree killed 2, injured 1, family and community members honor victims

It’s been a year since the Northern California college town of Davis was paralyzed in fear for a week as authorities searched for a suspect who brutally stabbed three people, killing two of them in seemingly random attacks at night.

The manhunt ended not far from where one of the victims was stabbed to death days earlier. Police arrested a young man, Carlos Reales Dominguez, who once had a promising future as a UC Davis student but was apparently in a downward spiral of mental illness and now is accused of attacking the three victims.

As a trial on murder and attempted murder charges approaches for Reales Dominguez, Davis community members as well as family and friends of the victims are gathering to honor those killed in the attacks — and to reflect on the terrifying violence a year later.

Karim Abou Najm was a 20-year-old UC Davis student just six weeks from his graduation when he was fatally attacked April 29, 2023, as he headed home through Sycamore Park.

The public is invited to a “Day of Remembrance” Monday at the park. Monday’s event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at nearby Willett Elementary School, 1207 Sycamore Lane, with keynote speakers including Abou Najm’s parents, who will share some of his writings and the initiatives to memorialize their son.

That will be followed at 7 p.m. at Sycamore Park by the unveiling of a memorial bench and naming of a bike path in honor of Abou Najm.

Davis stabbing spree: First victim was ‘Compassion Guy’

On Saturday, city officials invited the public to gather in downtown Davis and remember the first victim attacked in last year’s stabbings, David Henry Breaux. The 50-year-old man, referred to as “Compassion Guy,” was a well-known community member and had been a regular fixture at Central Park and in downtown for the past decade. The park is just east of the UC Davis campus.

The Davis Police Department has said Breaux had been sleeping at the park, where he was attacked in the early hours of April 27, 2023. Called to the park hours after the fatal attack, police said Breaux was found with multiple stab wounds, the victim of a “significantly violent attack.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Additional officers, on bikes and on foot, were assigned to patrol around the park to create a visible presence in the downtown corridor.

Breaux’s death on its own was alarming to police and officials in a city where homicides are rare, especially since the man had touched many lives in the community and dedicated his time and energy towards selflessness.

They didn’t know at the time that the brutal attack would just be the first one that week.

Second victim attacked on his way home

Two nights later, Abou Najm was on his way home after a day on campus for a student research project presentation. He was using a path through Sycamore Park he’d often use when he was stabbed multiple times in a fatal attack.

His family was devastated by the traumatic slaying. A computer science major at UC Davis, Abou Najm was an aspiring software engineer with an impressive academic career and two jobs lined up for him after his graduation that June. UC Davis gave him a bachelor’s degree in computer science posthumously at last year’s commencement ceremony.

Investigators scoured the area as they worked around-the-clock to identify a suspect in the attacks, even inviting a search-and-rescue crew to comb through Sycamore Park in hopes of finding any clues that could help identify a suspect. The Police Department had a description of the suspect who they believed was around Abou Najm’s age.

The stabbings that killed Breuax and Abou Najm had similarities, including the brutal manner of the attacks and the fact both took place at parks, and the crimes were quickly being investigated as linked.

City and UC Davis police boosted patrols and other safety measures, asking residents to be vigilant, especially at night, and report suspicious activity.

Third victim stabbed at homeless camp

Two nights after Abou Najm was attacked in the park, Kimberlee Guillory, 64, was stabbed as she slept in her tent at a homeless encampment near Second and L streets in Davis. She was stabbed repeatedly through the tent but survived her serious injuries, which required surgery.

The suspect reportedly fled from the homeless encampment on foot.

A manhunt ensued.

Residents in downtown Davis and at the near UC Davis campus were told to shelter in place. But the suspect was not found.

The following afternoon, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May announced that all classes on campus ending after 6 p.m. would be moved to remote learning indefinitely. “Aggie Transfer Day,” an informational event for admitted transfer students scheduled that following Friday, was canceled.

Without a suspect in custody, the Davis community was frightened of what violence could follow. Some businesses in Davis shortened their hours or adjusted their schedules. Events like the Wednesday farmers market at Central Park were canceled.

Davis police enlisted the help of homicide detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Sacramento Police Department, as “biological evidence” retrieved from the crime scenes was taken to crime labs for analysis.

Stabbing suspect arrested

Two days after Guillory was stabbed, Carlos Reales Dominguez was spotted in the late afternoon at Sycamore Park, where Abou Najm was killed. Police later said 15 callers reported seeing a man matching the stabbing suspect description: long, dark curly hair and wearing black Adidas pants with a white stripe.

Officers responded and found Reales Dominguez near Colby Drive and Pine Lane, about a block west of the park. He agreed to go with officers, and he was first questioned as a “person of interest” as part of the investigation into three Davis stabbings.

The following morning, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel announced they had arrested Reales Dominguez in connection with the stabbings. Pytel said officers found him with a large knife and a backpack, wearing the same clothes the suspect wore in the third stabbing.

Campus officials confirmed Reales Dominguez, then 21 years old, had been a UC Davis biological science major until April 25, 2023, when he was dismissed for academic reasons. The first stabbing, which killed Breaux, happened two days later.

Before enrolling at UC Davis, Reales Dominguez excelled as a high school athlete in East Oakland, where he was a standout student and a leader among his peers. In court testimony last summer, his friends described him displaying bizarre behavior, becoming further withdrawn from society. A forensic neuropsychologist testified that Reales Dominguez was most likely suffering from schizophrenia.

Murder trial awaits

The defendant’s mental competency came into question in Yolo Superior Court. Reales Dominguez was deemed mentally unfit and was ordered him to receive treatment at Atascadero State Hospital. He has since been returned to Yolo County, and his criminal case has been reinstated.

Reading from a report on Reales Dominguez’s mental health status, Judge Samuel McAdam said in January that the defendant’s mental competency has been restored that the case could proceed.

After a preliminary hearing that ended in late February, McAdam ruled there was sufficient evidence for Reales Dominguez to stand trial. He remains in custody at the Yolo County Jail.

Reales Dominguez is scheduled to return to court June 18 for the judge to schedule the start of his trial.