Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded no contest to attempted murder, assault and multiple weapons charges in a California court on Friday, receiving a lighter sentence.
Velasquez, 42, was on trial for a February 2022 incident in which he allegedly repeatedly shot a man accused of sexually assaulting his son. Instead, he wounded the man's stepfather after he died during a high-speed chase. He gave his guilty plea before Judge Arthur Bocanegra at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California.
According to Mercury News, the former champion's trial was scheduled to begin on September 9. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18, but the actual sentencing is expected to take place at a later date.
As a result of the plea, the charge of first-degree murder will be dropped, meaning he no longer faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
“This defendant chose to be judge, jury and executioner. His actions endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed when he shot his intended victim,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “We have excellent law enforcement in this district. Let them do their jobs.”
Velasquez was accused of shooting at a pickup truck driven by Harry Goularte – the man accused of abusing Velasquez's then-4-year-old son at a daycare run by Goularte's mother – during a 11-mile chase on the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2022. Goularte was being driven by his stepfather, Paul Bender, as they drove from Morgan Hill to San Jose. Velasquez reportedly fired several shots from a .40-caliber handgun at the vehicle, which missed its intended target and struck Bender in the arm and torso. Velasquez was arrested without incident after the chase.
He was released from prison in November 2022 on $1 million bail while awaiting trial. Goularte still faces child abuse charges.
The county's probation department will prepare a sentencing recommendation in the coming months that will take into account the severity of the incident, Velasquez's lack of prior criminal record and the sexual abuse case against his son.
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