By TRÂN NGUYỄN
DAVIS, Calif. — A 21-year-old former university student on Friday pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with a series of stabbings in the college community of Davis.
Yolo County Superior Court Judge Daniel Wolk also denied bail to Carlos Dominguez, citing the risk to public safety and the defendant’s own flight risk given the seriousness of the alleged crimes.
Dominguez remained expressionless as the judge read out the complaint filed by prosecutors Friday. He responded in the affirmative several times to questions from the judge but did not speak otherwise.
Yolo County prosecutors said Dominguez is eligible for a life prison term without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, given the multiple murders. He is accused of fatally stabbing two people, including a fellow student, and stabbing a third victim who is now recovering.
Dominguez was represented by Dan Hutchinson, a deputy public defender. Hutchinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He was picked up for questioning Wednesday near the city park where he was alleged to have killed his second victim and has been in jail since early Thursday.
News of his arrest Thursday was a relief to students and residents shocked by the vicious stabbings, which Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel described as particularly brutal and brazen.
Dominguez was a student at UC Davis until April 25 — two days before the first victim was found — when he was let go for academic reasons, the university said. He was a third-year student majoring in biological sciences. Previously, he attended Laney College in Oakland, the university said.
On Friday, students headed to class, in contrast to earlier in the week when the campus was practically deserted, some said.
Talia Mickelsen, a third-year student studying animal sciences, said she lives across the street from the house in which Dominguez lived. She noticed him a few times, but…
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