Gabriel Dominguez

Scott Wessels

Dubuque, Iowa – September 23, 2025 – Two Dubuque-area men were found guilty of lesser charges in connection with the October 2024 stabbing of a Loras College student, following a trial in Iowa District Court for Dubuque County Iowa.

Gabriel Dominguez, 23, of Sherrill, Iowa, and Scott M. Wessels, 23, of Dubuque, were each convicted of assault causing serious injury, willful injury resulting in serious harm, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, and going armed with intent. The jury, after approximately four hours of deliberation, acquitted the defendants of the more serious charge of attempted murder.

The incident occurred in the early morning of October 26, 2024, on Main Street in downtown Dubuque. According to court records, Hunter Guyon, a 21-year-old Loras College student, was walking with friends when a verbal altercation escalated. Dominguez, a passenger in a vehicle driven by Wessels, allegedly stabbed Guyon in the abdomen. Guyon was transported to UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital.

Dubuque police arrested Dominguez and Wessels shortly after the incident in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Dominguez initially faced charges of attempted murder and going armed with intent, while Wessels was charged as an accessory after the fact. Additional charges were later added based on evidence of coordination between the two.

During the trial, prosecutors argued the attack was deliberate, while the defense contended it was a spontaneous act without intent to kill. The jury’s verdict reflected agreement with the lesser charges.

Both subjects are incarcerated waiting sentencing set for late November 2025. Willful injury causing serious injury, a Class B felony, carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, with the other charges carrying sentences of five to ten years.

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