DAVIS, Calif. — The man accused of going on a stabbing spree in Davis will go before a jury Monday.
But jurors aren't deciding Carlos Dominguez's guilt on the two murder charges and the attempted murder charge he is facing.
Instead, they'll decide whether the 21-year-old former UC Davis student is competent to stand trial. It comes after a court-appointed doctor found him "not competent" to stand trial last month.
Prosecutors have argued he is competent.
"Both sides are going to have experts, both sides are going to put in their own independent facts and we'll see what happens," said defense attorney Mark Reichel.
Reichel told ABC10 that this week's trial is not about guilt or innocence at all.
"Do they understand, significantly understand, the nature and circumstances of what's going on in this courtroom, who the players are, what the consequences are?" Reichel said.
If all 12 jurors find Dominguez incompetent to stand trial, he will be evaluated for treatment at a state facility. He could face trial later, but he might never return.
At a hearing last month, Dominguez appeared to offer a stunning courtroom confession, telling the judge, "I just want to apologize and say I'm guilty." The judge butted in to remind Dominguez of his fifth amendment rights.
The statement won't be used against him with criminal proceedings stalled over the competency question.
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