Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was denied bail again Monday in his attempted murder case at a motion hearing in Santa Clara (California) County, per the court.
Judge Shelyna Brown decided against allowing Velasquez bail for a second time, citing Velasquez’s “reckless disregard for human life.” Brown first denied Velasquez bail March 7, when she referred to Velasquez’s actions as “extreme recklessness.”
The retired UFC great has been in custody since a Feb. 28 arrest. Velasquez has a plea hearing scheduled for June 10. Velasquez’s attorney, Mark Geragos, said there could be a pretrial probable cause hearing in the case in June or July, following the plea hearing.
Velasquez is being charged with attempted murder and 10 other gun-related charges. He could face 20 or more years of jail time if convicted.
Velasquez, 39, allegedly chased down a man — Harry Eugene Goularte, who is being charged with molesting a young relative of Velasquez — and shot a gun into Goularte’s vehicle, per the Santa Clara County district attorney. Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, was in the vehicle and was hit by one of the bullets. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Geragos told ESPN that he felt Brown’s decision Monday was “very disappointing.” He said he believes Velasquez will be “vindicated” if the case goes to a jury of “right-thinking” people.
“It’s especially outrageous when you realize that the accused pedophile and his stepfather, who did nothing but protect [Goularte] at the day care center, are parading around like victims,” Geragos said.
“If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the judge realizes that clearly we have a viable defense. We will assert it and we will assert it vigorously.”
Bender spoke via video call at the hearing Monday and said he suffered an injury to a nerve in his shoulder and has been unable to work since the shooting.
Velasquez is accused of following Goularte’s truck in his own vehicle in what the DA described as an “11-mile, high-speed chase” through San Jose. Velasquez allegedly rammed the truck and fired a 40-caliber handgun multiple times into it. Goularte’s mother, Patricia, was also in the truck.
Goularte, who was not injured in the shooting, is being charged in Santa Clara County with a lewd or lascivious act upon a child under age 14. Goularte has a plea hearing scheduled for June 6.
Goularte, 43, was released from custody Feb. 25 without bail, against the DA’s orders, per the DA. He was ordered to stay in home detention, remain 100 yards away from any child under 14 and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
The child, who is under 10 years old, told police Feb. 24 that Goularte took him into the bathroom of a day care center and touched the child’s genitals, per a court document. The child said that Goularte said not to tell anyone what happened and that this instance had occurred potentially “100 times.”
Goularte has denied wrongdoing. His mother, Patricia, owns the day care center, and Goularte lives in the building where the day care center operates.