Cain Velasquez attempted murder trial set to begin in September
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is set to go to court with his attempted murder trial on Sept. 9. in Santa Clara County, Calif.
The trial date was set on Wednesday by Judge Elizabeth Peterson, with Velasquez appearing in court alongside his attorney Renee Hessling.
At the latest hearing, Hessling requested another continuance, but prosecutor Aaron French, who represented the District Attorney’s office, argued against another delay, complaining that the trial setting had already been pushed back several times. A continuance for the trial setting was granted back in February due to subpoena requests that the defense was still waiting to receive, including records from the UFC.
Hessling stated on Wednesday that the subpoena evidence acquired was still incomplete and she needed more time before a trial date was set.
In the end, Peterson sided with the prosecution to set a trial date for September. Velasquez faces a litany of charges in connection with his arrest back in March 2022.
Velasquez, 41, was arrested after allegedly going on a high-speed chase pursuing a car containing Harry Goularte, a man accused of sexually abusing his son at a daycare owned by Goularte’s mother. Velasquez allegedly fired several rounds from a handgun into the vehicle, with Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, being hit by a bullet but sustaining non-life threatening injuries as a result.
Goularte, who was released on bail against the recommendation from the prosecution prior to the alleged car chase, faces separate charges, including one count of lewd acts with a child, but his own trial date still hasn’t been set.
The next major date in the case for Velasquez comes on June 26 for a trial readiness hearing, with motions required to be filed by Aug. 12 and completed by Aug. 26. Witness lists for the prosecution and defense must be filed no later than Sept. 4, with the trial slated to start on Sept. 9.
During the previous hearing in February, French stated that he objected to further delays in setting a trial date but conversations were ongoing between the prosecution and the defense over a potential resolution that could include a plea deal. At this point, no plea deal was reached, so now a trial date has been set for September.
Velasquez faces a multitude of charges including attempted murder, which carries a minimum 20-year sentence or up to life in prison if convicted.
Velasquez plead not guilty to all charges.