Latest news with #YoloCounty
CBS News
11 hours ago
- CBS News
Mistrial declared in Davis stabbings trial; jury found Carlos Dominguez not guilty of first-degree murder
What comes next in the Davis serial stabbing case after mistrial What comes next in the Davis serial stabbing case after mistrial What comes next in the Davis serial stabbing case after mistrial A mistrial has been declared in the trial of Carlos Dominguez, the former UC Davis student accused of going on a deadly stabbing spree. On Friday, the Yolo County jury revealed that they unanimously found Dominguez not guilty on first-degree murder. On second-degree murder,10 jurors found Dominguez not guilty while two voted guilty. With the case declared a mistrial by the judge, a new trial will take place on the second-degree count. A new trial setting conference is set for July 24. Carlos Dominguez in Yolo County Court on June 27. Dominguez is suspected in the 2023 stabbing spree that saw two people, David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm, killed and a third, Kimberlee Guillory, wounded. Proceedings were initially put on hold after the former UC Davis student's arrest after he was found not competent to stand trial. However, the trial resumed towards the end of 2024 when a reevaluation determined Dominguez was now competent. Jurors were deciding on the charges of first-degree murder for the killings of Breaux and Najm, and attempted murder in Guillory's stabbing. Closing arguments concluded on June 6, with Dominguez's defense claiming he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the attacks. Prosecutors focused their case on proving the actions were premeditated, regardless of Dominguez's mental state. A number of people – including Dominguez's family, his ex-girlfriend, a former professor, along with health care professionals and law enforcement officers – were brought in to testify in the trial. Dominguez himself took the stand in his own defense, a move legal experts said was unusual. Prosecutors have said they would not seek the death penalty against Dominguez if he is found guilty.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Yolo County man speaks following rape conviction reversal, embraces freedom after 16 years in prison
Yolo County man speaks publicly for the first time since nearly 400-year sentence was vacated Yolo County man speaks publicly for the first time since nearly 400-year sentence was vacated Yolo County man speaks publicly for the first time since nearly 400-year sentence was vacated YOLO COUNTY -- A former Davis man was freed from state prison more than one month ago, after a Yolo County judge ruled his rape conviction should be overturned and his nearly 400-year sentence vacated based on new evidence and testimony presented in habeas hearings. Ajay Dev (right) moments after his release from custody May 23, 2025 Ajay Dev Ajay Dev, 58, has spent the past 16 years in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. Dev was convicted of repeatedly raping his adopted daughter back in 2009. The alleged victim maintains her allegations are truthful, but Judge Janene Beronio found the evidence was insubstantial and that there were significant flaws in Dev's original trial. "Based on my review of this entire case, I believe that, in fact, Mr. Dev could be innocent of these charges," Bernoio ruled on May 16. He was released from Mule Creek State Prison on his own recognizance and walked free from custody one week later, on May 23. Dev sat down for his first on-camera interview exclusively with CBS Sacramento. "Sixteen years ago today was one of the worst days of my life when I was falsely convicted and wrongfully imprisoned," Dev said. "This happened to me, but it does not define me." Dev considers this a second chance at life, now navigating a new world outside prison walls. "I just want to have a normal life. I did not commit this crime and I am innocent, 100 percent," Dev said. He describes listening to the judge's ruling from inside prison walls, when he learned his nearly four life sentences were vacated. Ajay Dev pictured with his two sons, now 15 and 17 years old Ajay Dev "I cried and I could hear on the audio people gasping in tears," said Dev. "I just held one of my friends. Held him, saying, 'Looks like I'm going home.' He started crying and prayed with me. As we were praying, other inmates circled and prayed with me. I think they knew that I was innocent." Dev walked out of custody and into the arms of his family. His two sons are now 15 and 17. The oldest was just a baby and the youngest not yet born at the time of his conviction. "One of the biggest losses for me out of this whole incarceration was the loss of fatherhood," Dev said. "Nothing comes close to that. It's even worse than being falsely accused of something. Traumatic as it is, no father wants to be denied their children. And that was hard." Dev got to spend his very first Father's Day celebrating with his two sons outside of prison walls this year. Dev says he did not even get to hold his youngest son in his arms until he was 8 years old due to contact restrictions at the prison. "While I was doing time, I feel like they were also doing time with me. It's not easy, and for their mother to raise two children on her own, it's been hard on her," said Dev of his wife of 20 years and one of his biggest supporters, Peggy Dev. In 2017, the couple amicably divorced. In his darkest days, he says he leaned on family and community support while working to keep his mind occupied. The former engineer for the California Department of Water Resources turned to teaching math to fellow inmates. He also spent his time studying his own legal case. "And I kid you not, I must have spent more time on my legal works than my combined bachelor and master's degrees in engineering prior to my conviction. Because I was fighting for my life," Dev said. He also had to learn to forgive as the emotional toll was heavy. "It was unbearable. Moments where I would just stare at the wall, looking at my two kids' picture, praying. There were days I'd pull the covers over my head so my cellmate would not see my in those weak times where I'd cry," said Dev. "I even thought about committing suicide, to be honest. This hatred just consumed my soul. I knew this wasn't helping me. I started to really pray and start to forgive those people who have betrayed me. I think that gave me some strength." Ajay Dev (right) and his defense attorney Jennifer Mouzis (left) Ajay Dev In the end, he says he owes his freedom to his faithful attorney and now lifelong friend Jennifer Mouzis. "To put it in one sentence, she saved my life. She did save my life," Dev said. Mouzis has been working on the case for five years of habeas hearings and says there was no actual evidence that a crime ever occurred. "There was a lot of indication it didn't happen and not a lot of evidence it did happen. When I looked at it, I saw more and more cracks in the armor. If you stripped away some of the stereotypes used to gain a conviction, some of the implicit bias incorporated into the trial about Nepali culture and people from Nepal, if you strip that away, there really wasn't evidence it occurred," Mouzis told CBS13 in May. Dev says the dark cloud hanging over him for nearly two decades has finally cleared. Still, he is not yet out of the woods. The Yolo County district attorney's office could choose to dismiss or retry Dev's case. In a June 13 hearing, the decision was continued in court to July 10. "In the interest of justice, I hope the district attorney reviews the case every carefully and reaches a sound decision, and that is to drop the case in its entirety. If not, I am confident that we will prevail in the end," Dev said. The DA's office told CBS13 in a statement, "The People are prepared to retry the matter when the defense is ready to set the matter for trial."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Major delays to come amid big road closures on Highway 50 in Northern California
( — Drivers in Northern California are expected to face big road closures along Highway 50 amid Father's Day weekend and beyond, according to the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans warned motorists of a scheduled 79-hour closure in effect from June 13-17 as part of the ongoing $280 million Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 50 Pavement Rehabilitation Project in Yolo County. What is No Kings Day? Delays are expected from the Yolo I-80/ US 50 split to Jefferson Boulevard and west of I-5. The closure is scheduled on a section of U.S. Highway 50 in West Sacramento from 9 p.m. Friday, June 13 until 4 a.m. Tuesday, June 17. The department urged motorists to plan, expect delays, and use the designated, signed detour routes. The closures also include an A's home game scheduled for June 16 against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park. Caltrans said fans who are coming from eastbound I-80 will stay on eastbound I-80 to southbound I-5, and back down to westbound US-50 to access the ballpark. How does ICE know who to deport? 'Please allow for additional travel time on game day,' Caltrans said. Additionally, Caltrans said to be on 'work zone alert' and to slow down in construction zones for the safety of travelers and crews performing these improvements. The extended full highway and ramp closures for pavement replacement work will reportedly shorten the expected project completion time and improve workers' safety. According to Caltrans, the construction schedule is subject to change or be delayed by weather, availability of materials, or other unexpected events,. For real-time traffic information, travelers can visit the Caltrans QuickMap or visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man in his 40s sentenced to life in prison on multiple felony counts
( — The Honorable Paul K. Richardson has sentenced Thomas Jonathan Nichols to life in state prison for sexually abusing his stepdaughter when they lived in Yolo County. According to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, Nichols is a 47-year-old man from Savannah, Georgia, who has been sentenced without parole for 43 years, which is set to follow an indeterminate sentence of 165 years to life in state prison. Kia recalls over 82,000 K5 vehicles after a faulty software update 'This sentence ensures that the defendant will never again have the opportunity to harm a child,' said District Attorney Jeff Reisig. 'We are grateful to the victim for her strength and courage throughout this process, and we hope this outcome brings a measure of justice and closure. Our office remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and holding predators fully accountable.' In 2023, Nicholas was charged with 66 felony counts, spanning nearly a decade of sexual abuse that started when the victim was 8 years old, YCDAO said. He used his role as a stay-at-home stepdad to isolate pressure and guilt-trip the victim into repeated acts of sexual abuse while being under his care. In January, this case went into trial, where the victim, who is now a young adult, testified and disclosed the details of sexual and psychological abuse through the years, YCDAO stated. The jury found the victim credible and on February 14, found Nichols guilty of 62 felony counts which also included Child Molest, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, and Rape by Force or Fear. During the sentencing hearing, the victim's advocate read the impact statement that the victim wrote, which stated: 'In a way, my family and I will be serving a life sentence because this type of abuse is not something we can forget, unfortunately. [The defendant] abused me and my family in so many ways for so many years. My family and I will never get those years back. I will never be an innocent kid again.' The victim also stated, 'As the years have passed, however, I have made new memories with my family, I have opened my eyes to the simple joys that life can bring, and I finally feel like I get to experience true freedom for the first time.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
UC Davis students can now bottle and sell their wines made on campus to support scholarships
UC Davis students can sell their own wines made to support scholarships UC Davis students can sell their own wines made to support scholarships UC Davis students can sell their own wines made to support scholarships DAVIS -- For 145 years, UC Davis has helped forge the future of the wine industry from the heart of its Yolo County campus. But now, for the first time, the university is finally allowed to bottle up and sell the wines made by students in its Department of Viticulture and Enology. It took a law change to get there and the creation of the nonprofit Hilgard631 for the state institution to legally sell wine. "That's 12 years in a nutshell. I'm glad we are here, able to celebrate this," said Professor David Block. Wednesday night, the department hosted an event celebrating the first-ever release and sale of the student creations. "They can share it with their friends and families, which is something they couldn't do before. So this is very exciting," said UC Davis head winemaker Leticia Chacon Rodriguez. Dozens of supporters showed up to taste-test the wines Wednesday, lining up after to purchase a bottle. "It's a good sauvignon. I like it. This is from a student?" asked one woman in surprise, tasting a delicious white wine. The magic happens from start to finish at UC Davis. Most of the grapes are grown at the vineyard on campus, and they are then fermented in the winery classroom as the students' visions come to life. Each pour represents a sense of accomplishment for those in the program. "There's a lot of pride and just excitement to share it," said student winemaker Naomi Morales. "If you're interested in the way that art and science collide, consider winemaking." Inside the teaching and research winery, their creations are made over the course of 10 weeks. Before this year, the wines made on campus had no sustainable future. "Unfortunately, before, the wine got just poured down the drain," said Ben Montpetit, chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology. Now, the department is also able to teach students the business of winemaking too as they learn to design their own labels and sell their wines. It's helping raise a glass the the future for an industry seeing declining sales. "There's classes where they are given the freedom to do what they want and they really push the envelope. New varieties, new ways of making wine, new packaging," said Ben Montpetit. Hilgard631 handles public sales, now allowing the transfer of up to 20,000 gallons of department-made wines. The department bottled roughly 500 gallons of wine to sell for this release. All proceeds from the wine sales will support student scholarships. Bottles can be purchased in person only at the on-campus research winery at 631 Hilgard Rd. in Davis.
