Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez still faces attempted murder charges following his 2022 arrest, with no clear timeline for his trial due to ongoing negotiations and subpoenas for information from the UFC and a daycare previously owned by the mother of the man he allegedly chased and shot at.
Cain Velasquez’s future remains uncertain. The former UFC heavyweight champ is still facing attempted murder charges from a 2022 arrest. But, when or even if he’ll stand trial? That’s still up in the air.
Wednesday was a busy day for Velasquez. He appeared in two separate courtrooms in Santa Clara County, California, all about his case. The charges? They’re pretty serious. Velasquez allegedly chased down a car at high speed. Inside was Harry Goularte, accused of sexually abusing Velasquez’s son at a daycare. The daycare was owned by Goularte’s mom, by the way.
Velasquez didn’t just chase the car. He allegedly fired several shots into the vehicle. One of those bullets hit Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender. Lucky for him, the injuries weren’t life-threatening.
The first courtroom appearance for Velasquez was in front of Judge Shella Deen. She was there to hear arguments about two subpoenas. The defense wants some info before going to trial. The first subpoena? It was about UFC records. Velasquez’s attorney, Renee Hessling, said they’d asked for them, but the UFC hadn’t delivered. Deen told the UFC to cough up the records. They’ve got until March 6 to do it.
The second subpoena was about records from the daycare. That’s where Velasquez’s son was allegedly abused. Hessling and the Goularte family’s lawyer had a bit of a spat over these records. Judge Deen had to calm them down. She ordered them back in court on April 17.
Deen wants to review all the records. She’s also got a motion to quash one of the subpoenas to look at. That was filed by the Goularte family’s attorney.
Because of these subpoenas and the records attached to them, Judge Benjamin Williams had to delay setting a trial date for Velasquez. This didn’t sit well with Santa Clara county assistant district attorney Aaron French. He wasn’t happy about it, but what can you do?
French did let slip that there are ongoing talks. Prosecutors, the defense, and Judge Arthur Bocanegra are all involved. They’re trying to find a resolution that might avoid a trial. “I object to further trial setting, I would like to have a trial date today, but the people are open to continue to negotiate the case with the defense, and if we can reach a resolution prior to trial, then I’m open to those discussions,” French said in court.
Williams wasn’t having it. He denied the objection and set a final trial setting date on April 24 at 1:35 p.m. PT. That’s unless a resolution, like a plea deal for Velasquez, happens before then.
If Velasquez is found guilty of all charges, he could be looking at life behind bars. It’s a grim prospect, but that’s the reality of the situation.