Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded not responsible Friday in an tried homicide case in Santa Clara (California) County, his lawyer Mark Geragos informed ESPN.
Velasquez, 40, is being charged with tried homicide and 10 different gun-related expenses stemming from an incident the place he allegedly chased down a person, Harry Goularte — who’s being charged with molesting a younger relative of Velasquez — and taking pictures a gun into Goularte’s automobile, hitting Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender. Velasquez has been in jail since Feb. 28 and has been denied bail on three separate events.
A pre-trial listening to within the case is scheduled for Sept. 26, the place Geragos is anticipating to have the ability to get witnesses to testify, the lawyer stated. If the case will not be dismissed at that time, he stated, it will then go to trial, which might start earlier than the top of the 12 months.
Geragos stated the prosecution won’t be calling Goularte to testify on the pre-trial listening to or at trial, which he referred to as “nonsense.” There will likely be a movement listening to Aug. 29 to debate whether or not Goularte not being a witness is honest to Velasquez. Geragos stated the one depend Velasquez is going through that would get him life in jail is tried homicide and Goularte is the alleged sufferer of stated cost.
Goularte was launched from custody Feb. 25 with out bail after being arrested on a cost of lewd or lascivious act upon a toddler underneath the age of 14.
“They’re attempting to desperately run away from the truth that the system failed Cain,” Geragos stated. “They do not need to get into that. They need to attempt a case that is divorced from actuality.”
Geragos added that he finds it a battle that the identical workplace is attempting each Velasquez and Goularte of their respective circumstances, saying that it’s serving “two masters.”
Velasquez adopted Goularte’s truck in his personal automobile on an “11-mile, high-speed chase” by way of the town of San Jose, rammed the truck and fired a 40-caliber handgun a number of instances into the truck, which carried Goularte, Bender and Goularte’s mom, Patricia, in accordance with the DA’s workplace. Bender was hit with a bullet, although he sustained non-life-threatening accidents.
Velasquez’s relative, who’s underneath 10 years outdated, informed police Feb. 24 that Goularte took them into the lavatory of a daycare heart and touched their genitals, per a court docket doc. The kid stated Goularte stated to not inform anybody what occurred and that this example may need occurred “100 instances.” The kid informed police that they witnessed Goularte go into the lavatory with different children, as nicely.
The daycare is owned by Goularte’s mom. She and Goularte have denied any wrongdoing. Velasquez’s household has additionally filed a negligence and sexual battery lawsuit towards Goularte, Patricia and Bender.
Goularte pleaded responsible to his prison cost in June and is scheduled for one more court docket date Sept. 20.
