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Andreas Hale, ESPN
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez entered a plea of no contest to felony tried homicide, assault and a number of weapons prices in a California courtroom Friday in alternate for a lighter sentence.
Velasquez, 42, was going through an tried homicide trial for a February 2022 incident when he allegedly shot repeatedly at a person accused of molesting his son — however ended up wounding the person’s stepfather as an alternative — after a high-speed automotive chase. He entered the plea earlier than Decide Arthur Bocanegra on the Santa Clara County Corridor of Justice in San Jose, California.
In response to the Mercury Information, the previous champion was scheduled to start trial Sept. 9. A sentencing listening to is about for Oct. 18, however the precise sentencing is predicted to happen at a later date.
Because of the plea, the premeditated homicide prices towards him might be dropped, which suggests he’ll now not face a compulsory sentence of life in jail with the potential of parole.
“This defendant determined to turn into decide, jury, and executioner. His actions endangered harmless bystanders, together with younger kids and their mother and father who may have been injured or killed as he shot at his meant sufferer,” District Legal professional Jeff Rosen mentioned in a press release. “We’ve glorious regulation enforcement on this county. Allow them to do their jobs.”
Velasquez was accused of taking pictures at a pickup truck carrying Harry Goularte — the person accused of molesting Velasquez’s then-4-year-old son at a day care owned by Goularte’s mom — throughout an 11-mile automotive chase on the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2022. Goularte was being pushed by his stepfather, Paul Bender, as they traveled from Morgan Hill to San Jose. Velasquez reportedly fired a number of rounds on the automobile with a .40-caliber handgun that missed his meant goal and struck Bender within the arm and torso. Velasquez was arrested with out incident following the automotive chase.
He was launched from jail in November 2022 on $1 million bail whereas awaiting trial. Goularte continues to face youngster molestation prices.
The county probation division will produce a sentencing suggestion within the coming months that weighs the severity of the incident with Velasquez’s lack of a prison historical past and the sexual abuse case involving his son.