Hughson man convicted on all charges in domestic violence trial. Faces over 35 years
A Stanislaus County jury has convicted a Hughson man on 12 counts stemming from a domestic violence case that prosecutors said escalated into armed threats against his family. It caps a yearlong prosecution that ended with the defendant representing himself through much of the trial.
Jurors on June 8 found Troy Wayne McComak, 41, guilty of multiple felony charges, including corporal injury to a spouse, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, criminal threats, witness intimidation and illegally possessing firearms while subject to a domestic violence restraining order. The jury also convicted him of three misdemeanor charges with multiple firearm enhancements and aggravating circumstances.
Jurors additionally found true allegations that McComak personally used a firearm during several offenses, that certain offenses involved force or threats of force, and that he engaged in violent conduct indicating a serious danger to society.
McComak faces a maximum sentence of 35 years and one month in state prison when he is sentenced July 16 in Stanislaus County Superior Court before Judge Valli Israels.
“I’m just glad that the jury looked at all the evidence and found that the evidence proved the crimes,” Deputy District Attorney Ney Montenegro, who prosecuted the case, told The Bee following the verdict.
Montenegro said the jury’s decision to convict McComak on every count reflected the strength of the prosecution’s case.
“Based on the jury’s verdict, what that tells me is that the evidence that was presented to them was strong enough for them to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on every count,” he said. “They had a chance to deliberate, and everything that they looked at, they found that the evidence was strong enough for them to convict him.”
Case background
According to prosecutors, the case began March 6, 2025, when McComak assaulted his wife during an argument inside their Hughson home after she filed for divorce.
Court records and prosecutors said McComak pushed her onto a bed, held her wrists down, covered her mouth and nose multiple times until she struggled to breathe, then prevented her from leaving the home by dragging her back inside after she attempted to escape.
After she later reported the assault to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, McComak was arrested and released under a criminal protective order prohibiting contact with the victim.
Prosecutors said McComak later violated that order by confronting his wife while she was holding their infant child. They alleged he dragged her by the hair, struck her, armed himself with a shotgun, a pistol and body armor, and threatened to kill her if she testified in court.
Montenegro said the victim later minimized the details of the earlier assault during a court hearing because of those threats.
Following that hearing, prosecutors said McComak returned to his Hughson residence with his wife and his father, Todd McComak. Once there, prosecutors alleged he armed himself again, pointed a shotgun at his father, threatened to kill him and prevented him from calling 911 before fleeing the area.
Authorities later arrested McComak in Carson City, Nevada, after a multi-agency search. He was extradited back to Stanislaus County to face prosecution.
Defendant represented himself
The case also drew attention because McComak dismissed his attorney and represented himself through much of the proceedings, filing dozens of handwritten motions while in custody.
Montenegro said prosecuting a self-represented defendant required additional steps to ensure McComak personally received all discovery and evidence that otherwise would have gone through defense counsel.
“It’s not common,” Montenegro said. “Every defendant has the right to an attorney, but also to represent themselves if they wish to.”
Because McComak represented himself, prosecutors made all discovery available directly to him and placed communications on the record, Montenegro said, adding that jurors were repeatedly instructed not to consider McComak’s self-representation as evidence of guilt because it is a constitutional right.
Montenegro said he hopes the verdict encourages domestic violence victims to safely report abuse despite the difficult circumstances many face.
“Sometimes victims don’t feel safe enough to report incidents of domestic violence to the police for obvious reasons,” he said. “Sometimes they have kids together, and sometimes they’re financially supported by their abusers. My message would be to find a way to safely report incidents of domestic violence to law enforcement and allow law enforcement to protect them from their abusers.”
McComak remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center pending his July 16 sentencing.
