The mental competency of a former university student, who stands accused of stabbing two individuals to death and attempting to murder a third, will be determined by a jury in California, Your Content has learned.
These violent attacks have sent shockwaves through the typically peaceful college town of Davis.
Following a court order for a mental evaluation, a medical expert has concluded that Carlos Dominguez, 21, is not fit to stand trial, as revealed by a Yolo County Superior Court judge on Tuesday.
The jury will make a final decision on July 24.
During the hearing, Dominguez interjected to express his desire to apologize.
Seated next to his court-appointed deputy public defender, Dan Hutchinson, he declared, “I want to say I’m guilty.”
In a previous court appearance in May, Dominguez had refused legal representation.
The stabbing incidents have left the University of California, Davis campus and the wider community in a state of turmoil.
Businesses have closed early, and students are afraid to venture outside their homes, even for daytime classes.
Dominguez, formerly a third-year student majoring in biological sciences, was dismissed from the university on April 25 due to academic reasons.
He was apprehended near the scene of his second alleged attack, wearing the clothes from the third alleged attack, which facilitated his identification by witnesses.
The motive behind the stabbings remains undisclosed by the police, and it remains unclear whether Dominguez had any prior connection to the victims.
The victims include a 50-year-old homeless man who was well-regarded within the community and a 20-year-old UC Davis student.
Fortunately, a homeless woman who was attacked in her tent on Monday night survived the assault, according to U.S. News.