Community remembers UC Davis student killed in series of stabbings

Sergio Robles
·2 min read

(FOX40.COM) — Exactly one year after 20-year-old UC Davis student Karim Najm was killed at Sycamore Park, the Davis community is gathering in his honor.

Najm was the second fatal victim in a series of stabbing attacks in Davis. He was killed two days after 50-year-old David Breaux died in a similar attack. A third victim survived her injuries.

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On Monday night, the city of Davis and the university honored Najm at Sycamore Park by naming a bike path after him and unveiling a bench in his honor. His parents were in attendance and spoke out publicly for the first time.

“We all carry scars, and talking about the pain helps us process it,” said Najm’s mother, Nadine Abou Najim. “For this reason, I hold Karim in my heart, my mind, and in my interactions. While I can’t change what happened on April 29, I can hold to preserving Karim’s memory.”

Former UC Davis student Carlos Dominguez is facing a trial in connection with the attacks.

“Every once-in-a-while we sit and we’re like, ‘wow, that was a really crazy time and like really scary,'” said UC Davis student Pele Pangea.

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“It’s beautiful out… in comparison to last year when it was much more stark, and definitely the weather played into the fact,” Pangea said, remembering the day in 2023 when Najm’s life ended.

Student Annabel Marshall shared a similar sentiment, saying, “Knowing it was a student that was impacted and brutally murdered was a horrifying thing to hear and it made a lot of people very nervous.”

Five days after Najm’s death Davis Police detained Dominguez, helping restore peace of mind to tens of thousands of students and the wider Davis community.

“I hope that we all feel safer than we did at this point last year, and I hope we’re remembering those people with happiness instead of fear,” Marshall said.

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