Second Chance, Tougher Stakes: Davis Stabbing Trial Enters Critical Phase

The courtroom in Woodland is the site of a legal do-over with serious consequences. Carlos Dominguez is back on trial this week—not for first-degree murder, but for something prosecutors hope will stick: second-degree murder charges stemming from a 2023 stabbing spree that left two men dead and a woman badly injured in Davis.

Here’s where it gets complicated. In his first trial, jurors said no to first-degree murder but couldn’t agree on the other charges, triggering a mistrial. That hung jury created a legal bind: double jeopardy protections mean Dominguez can’t be retried for first-degree murder, no matter what evidence emerges. So prosecutors are swinging at a lower bar this time, but it’s the only swing they get.

This week, jurors heard from Karim Abou Najm’s mother and the doctor who discovered Najm at the scene and witnessed Dominguez leaving. Those are the kinds of gut-level testimonies that can move a jury—family devastation paired with direct eyewitness placement. Thursday brings more of that witness testimony, with court resuming at 9:30 a.m. and a livestream available for those following along.

What makes this retrial worth watching isn’t just the outcome—it’s what it says about how the system handles a failed first attempt. The jury disagreed enough times to deadlock, which means reasonable doubt took root somewhere. Now prosecutors have to convince a different panel that second-degree murder is the right conviction, with fewer legal tools at their disposal. For the Davis community and the families involved, this is the last real chance for accountability in open court.