As the Dominguez trial continues, testimonies include Dominguez’s former girlfriend, father and sister
By GIA LOOMIS — city@theaggie.com
As the court enters its third week of the Carlos Dominguez trial, regarding serial stabbings that occurred in Davis in 2023, witness testimonies take over the courtroom with Dominguez’s loved ones’ statements. This week, the defense is calling several witnesses to the stand, including Dominguez’s ex-girlfriend and his family members.
Over the past few weeks, the prosecution and defense have been building their arguments over the guilt of Dominguez, who is facing murder and attempted murder charges from the stabbing spree that left two dead and one injured.
The prosecution took an early rest at the end of week two as they built their argument that Dominguez willfully and with premeditation stabbed the three victims. Then, the defense began developing their argument that Dominguez did not willfully commit the stabbings as he was suffering from schizophrenia.
Testimonies this week started off with Dominguez’s loved ones taking the stand. First, Defense Attorney Dan Hutchinson called Dominguez’s father, Juan Carlos Reales Campos, to testify. Campos spoke on Dominguez’s past, emphasizing the physical and mental struggles leading up to the stabbings.
“I thought maybe there was a lot of stress at school, or maybe he was using a drug,” Campos said.
Campos continued by explaining how he noticed Dominguez’s mental state further deteriorating during his second year at UC Davis, which neared the time of the stabbings.
“He was no longer calling me continually, and calling less his brother and sister,” Campos said.
Following Campos’ testimony, the defense called Dominguez’s 13-year-old sister, Mia Reales Dominguez, to the stand. Mia started off by explaining that her brother’s decline seemed to begin following his breakup with his girlfriend, as she began to notice obvious changes in Dominguez’s mental state.
“He wouldn’t talk,” Mia said. “He wouldn’t smile. He wouldn’t leave his room. […] He said he was seeing things.”
Mia continued by explaining that Dominguez stopped replying to their calls and texts in winter break of his second year in 2022, just a few months before the stabbings. His family grew concerned and decided to reach out to his former girlfriend, Caley Gallardo, in an attempt to get in contact with Dominguez.
Gallardo was next up to the stand, where she explained that she was also concerned for Dominguez’s well-being in the winter of 2022. Gallardo testified about the end of their relationship in the spring of their second year, which she says was consequent to Dominguez’s mental shifts.
“He mentioned that the devil had spoken to him in his dreams,” Gallardo said. “He thought that he was okay and that I was being overdramatic.”
Gallardo’s testimony ended with her reaction to the stabbings, which began just a week after her last text interaction with Dominguez.
“To find someone I had loved had done something like that was very difficult,” Gallardo said. “The person I had initially dated would have never done something like that.”
Further this week, the defense plans to call Dominguez’s former roommates to testify more on Dominguez’s deteriorating mental state in 2022 and 2023. Then, the court will end week three by playing the six-hour video of Dominguez’s testimony to the jury.
This is a developing case, follow The California Aggie’s coverage in the coming weeks.
Written By: Gia Loomis — city@theaggie.org
