Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will remain in jail till his plea hearing which was moved to May 6 upon request.
Cain Velasquez was reported to have not registered a plea, following multiple charges, including attempted murder, from a shooting incident on February 28. Velasquez took to social media to break his silence following the incident for the first time when he put out a message of gratitude towards his fans that have supported him.
While the hearing was originally scheduled for April 12, Velasquez’s lawyer Mark Geragos asked for the plea hearing to be moved back to a later date. Judge Franco approved his request at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice. Velasquez is now scheduled to appear in court on May 6 at 9 a.m. PST.
His lawyer stated that they’ll be filing another motion for his release before the hearing. Geragos said, “As we indicated to the judge today, we’re going to file another motion asking that he be released. We will do that between now and May 6.”
Cain Velasquez appeared in court on Tuesday
In a brief seven-minute appearance before the court on Tuesday, Cain Velasquez expressed his love for his family as he made a heart with his hands, signaling his family ‘I love you’ in sign language. Many supporters showed up to the hearing and the courtroom consisted of friends and coaches of the fighter including Daniel Cormier, Javier Mendez, Josh Thomson, and Deron Winn.
Nelly Gonzalez, aka ‘Grandma Khabib’ was in attendance as well with the supporters reinforcing her support for Cain Velasquez and asking for Harry Goularte Jr. to be in prison instead.
Harry Goularte Jr., 43 years old, stands accused of molesting Velasquez’s “close relative” up to 100 times. The 39-year-old fighter was arrested for attempted murder after ramming his truck into the vehicle Goularte was in and firing in that direction that hit the accused’s step-father in the arm.
He was hit with 10 charges after the arrest. Sitting judge Shelyna Brown denied Velasquez bail as she deemed his actions to be “reckless” and believed the risk to be too great. Meanwhile, she allowed Goularte to walk out free on bail.