Ex-UFC star Velasquez pleads no contest to attempted murder
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded no contest Friday to attempted murder and gun charges stemming from a 2022 incident, according to The Mercury News' Robert Salonga.
As a result of the plea agreement Velasquez struck with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office in San Jose, the premeditated murder charges against him will be dropped. The 42-year-old will be convicted but avoids the mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole he would've received had a jury found him guilty during a trial. Judge Arthur Bocanegra can sentence Velasquez to anything from probation to life in prison.
Velasquez's case was scheduled to go to trial Sept. 9, according to Salonga. A sentencing hearing is slated for Oct. 18, though the date of the actual sentencing is not yet set.
In February 2022, Velasquez was accused of repeatedly shooting at a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte, who allegedly molested Velasquez's then-four-year-old son at a daycare owned by Goularte's mother. During an 11-mile high-speed car chase, Velasquez was accused of striking Goularte's stepfather, Paul Bender, in the arm and torso with a .40 caliber handgun, causing non-life-threatening injuries.
Velasquez was released from jail on $1-million bail in November 2022. Goularte is facing ongoing child molestation charges.