Second Chance: Davis Stabbing Retrial Hinges on One Witness's Split-Second Decision

A walk through the neighborhood. A moment of recognition. A phone call to police. Sometimes the smallest decisions reshape entire lives—and entire cases.

The retrial of Carlos Dominguez is back in motion this week, and it all turns on the kind of moment most of us would probably second-guess ourselves through: Justin Schafer was walking in his West Davis neighborhood when he spotted someone who matched the description of a stabbing suspect. He could’ve kept walking. Instead, he called police. That call led directly to Dominguez’s arrest.

Dominguez stands accused of two murders and a serious assault that happened in the spring of 2023. But this isn’t his first time in court. The first trial ended in a deadlock—jurors couldn’t agree on first-degree murder charges, which means the case goes back to square one. This time, prosecutors are pursuing second-degree murder, the most severe charge still available to them. It’s a strategic shift that signals how seriously the state views the evidence, even if the jury consensus wasn’t unanimous the first time around.

What makes Schafer’s testimony crucial is that his account bridges the gap between the alleged crimes and the arrest itself. His observation—the clothing, the location, the timing—was specific enough to convince him that either he’d spotted the suspect or someone who needed immediate mental health intervention. He didn’t hesitate. He made the call. Now, three years later, his words are being tested again in front of a new jury, and the stakes for Dominguez couldn’t be higher.

The court resumes Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m., and you can watch the livestream as it unfolds. It’s a reminder of how fragile justice can feel—how much depends on one person’s judgment in a single moment, and how crucial witness testimony remains even in an era of surveillance and forensics. For Davis, this retrial brings an old wound back into public view. For Dominguez, it’s a second chance at trial. For Schafer, it’s a second chance to make his case that he did the right thing that day.