UC Davis stabbings suspect isn’t competent to stand trial, psychologist tells court – but the matter isn’t settled

By Cheri Mossburg | CNN

A former University of California, Davis, student accused of killing two people and injuring another in stabbings near campus this year is not competent to stand trial, according to the opinion of a court-appointed psychologist presented in court on Tuesday.

The matter of whether Carlos Dominguez is competent to stand trial in the stabbings will now be settled in its own jury trial, because prosecutors contest the psychologist’s findings, Yolo County Judge Sam McAdam decided.

The suspect, meanwhile, interrupted Tuesday’s hearing on his competency to profess his guilt – despite his previous not guilty plea in the case.

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“I want to apologize and I want to say I’m guilty, and forgive me,” Dominguez was heard saying during Tuesday’s livestreamed hearing, shortly after McAdam read the psychologist’s incompetency finding into the record.

After the interruption, the judge reminded Dominguez of his Fifth Amendment rights. He then briefly suspended the criminal proceedings, adding that anything said during the suspension cannot be used against him.

“Can I have a moment to consult with my client?” public defender Dan Hutchinson quickly asked the judge.

Dominguez had pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and one attempted murder charge through his attorney after his arrest in May.

Authorities have accused Dominguez, who was 21 when he was arrested, of fatally stabbing UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm and 50-year-old David Breaux in parks near the UC Davis campus in late April, and injuring Kimberlee Guillory in a stabbing near campus in early May.