UFC legend Cain Velasquez charged with attempted murder for shooting son's alleged abuser freed on $1M bond
Warning: The story contains recollection of child sexual abuse that could be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, UFC legend Cain Velasquez was released on a $1 million bail following his eight months in custody. The former UFC heavyweight champion has been charged with attempted murder and ten other gun-related felonies in Santa Clara County.
Velasquez was accused of shooting Harry Goularte, who was being chased down by a car at the time. Goularte has been charged with sexually abusing a young member of the Velasquez family. In a legal case filed in June, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion claimed that Goularte had assaulted his 4-year-old son. Velasquez's lawyer, Mark Geragos, claimed that he will be required to wear a GPS tracker and refrain from coming within 300 yards of the alleged victims in the case. Geragos told ESPN, "It's been a long slog and I am very grateful. Nothing is as touching as watching him having it sink in with his wife, Michelle, there."
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Velasquez, 40, pleaded not guilty in August 2022 and had been in jail since February 28, 2022. Judge Shelyna Brown had previously denied him bail four times before Judge Arthur Bocanegra granted it to him at the conclusion of a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, November 8.
CAIN VELASQUEZ IS NOW OUT ON BAIL
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 8, 2022
per @mma_kings pic.twitter.com/PebSF5tbAq
The DA's office claimed that Velasquez led Goularte, his stepfather Paul Bender, and Goularte's mother Patricia in the truck he was driving on an "11-mile, high-speed chase" through San Jose before ramming the vehicle and opening fire multiple times with a 40-caliber revolver into it.
Velasquez is suspected of shooting Bender when he fired at the vehicle Goularte was driving in. Bender didn't sustain any serious injuries. Velasquez's son reported to authorities on February 24 that Goularte had touched his genitalia when they were in a childcare facility's restroom, according to a court document.
The little boy claimed Goularte warned him not to tell anyone what had happened and that it might have happened "100 times." The boy also informed the authorities that they saw Goularte enter the restroom along with other young people. Bocanegra's decision was impacted by the hearing, claimed Geragos.
Geragos stated, "Instead of listening to all this hyperbole and nonsense bandied about, we had a hearing with cross-examinations and witnesses under oath." He added that he is unaware of the date of the trial but that Velasquez will have the opportunity to return home on Tuesday, November 8.
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.