(KRON) — Just three years ago, the future was looking bright for Carlos Reales Dominguez.
He graduated from Castlemont High School in Oakland after playing on the football team in 2020, according to the New York Times. He later enrolled in Laney College in Oakland, university officials confirmed to KRON4.
Dominguez was interviewed by Oakland Health Pathways Partnership as a teenager and said, “I want to be a doctor. I got into health care to help my grandmother—she has type 2 diabetes. It makes me happy. I just love seeing her smile.”
OHPP’s website removed Dominguez’s profile from its website on Friday, one day after he was identified by the Davis Police Department as a suspected killer who allegedly carried out a series of recent stabbings.
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel described the stabbings as particularly brutal and brazen. Prosecutors on Friday charged the 21-year-old man with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder.I
n his Oakland Health Pathways Partnership interview, Dominguez talked about growing up as the oldest of three siblings. “My grandmother used to take care of me when I was young, and now I take care of her. I’m the oldest in my family. My parents work, so I take care of my younger brother and sister, take them to school. I help with the cooking and cleaning,” he said.
He also talked about his goals and dreams. “As a doctor, I want to give back to the community. Maybe people think it’s boring or it’s scary if you’re a surgeon, and you see all that blood, but saving someone’s life makes you feel good about yourself. I love sports and want to open my own sports medicine clinic,” he told OHPP.
Dominguez interned with an Oakland mentorship programs for students interested in a career in medicine before he was accepted into the University of California Davis to study biology, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Dominguez was kicked out of UC Davis for academic reasons just two days before the first killing, the university’s administrators confirmed.
Police and prosecutors have not revealed a motive behind the killings. Dominguez is charged with murdering David Henry Breaux, 50, in a park near UC Davis’ campus on April 27; a 20-year-old UC Davis student, Karim Abou Najm, in another city park on April 29; and attempting to murder Kimberlee Guillory, 64, while she was sleeping in a tent on Monday.
Witnesses helped police find Dominguez wandering around Sycamore Park Wednesday. Police said he had a large hunting knife in his backpack.
He has been jailed since early Thursday, and he pleaded not guilty on Friday afternoon in the Yolo County courthouse.
Yolo County prosecutors said Dominguez could face a life sentence or the death penalty if convicted.
The stabbing spree had put the college community on high alert before an arrest was made. Davis Mayor Will Arnold said, “A murderer is off the streets and our families will sleep easier tonight.”
UC Davis officials wrote the following statement Thursday:
“UC Davis learned that the city of Davis police, UC Davis police and the FBI have identified and arrested a suspect in all three stabbing incidents. The person has been identified as Carlos Reales Dominguez. Reales Dominguez was in his third year at UC Davis until April 25, 2023, when he was separated for academic reasons. We are partnering with law enforcement to provide access to any and all information as part of the investigation. We are providing support to faculty, staff and students who may have interacted with him. As we learn more and are able to provide updates that do not interfere with the ongoing investigation, we will do so. We urge the community not to rush to conclusions or speculate until all facts are known. We are grateful for law enforcement’s quick response and resolution during an extremely difficult period for the city and campus.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
