On Friday, former UFC fighter Cain Velasquez managed to cut a deal.
It has been noted that Velasquez’s trial in Santa Clara (Calif.) County court was set to begin next month, and the charges against him included attempted murder. However, the East Bay Times reported that Velasquez cut a deal Friday to plead no contest to the charges against him.
In exchange, Velasquez gets the potential for a lesser sentence from Judge Arthur Bocanegra. He also had the premeditation charges dropped from his one attempted murder count and nine separate gun charges – which could play an important role in his sentencing.
Velasquez will avoid going to a jury trial that would have included the possibility of a guilty verdict and life in prison. If he’s absent from a trial, he will be convicted of the charges against him, but the premeditation charges gone mean a mandatory life sentence is off the table. Judge Bocanegra will have a wide range of options when he sentences Velasquez.
The Times has reported that the next hearing for Velasquez’s sentencing is set for October 18.
Velasquez was apprehended almost two and half years ago after he allegedly pursued and shot at a man, Harry Goularte, accused of molesting Velasquez’s then 4-year-old son at a daycare. Velasquez allegedly chased a car carrying Goularte and family members during a high-speed chase with a bullet striking Goularte’s stepfather causing injury.
Velasquez spent nearly nine months incarcerated before he was granted $1 million bail with stipulations, including GPS surveillance and TBI treatment.
Velasquez was facing charges of attempted murder (one count), shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft (one count), assault with a firearm (three counts), assault with a deadly weapon (three counts), willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle (one count) and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony (one count). Velasquez pleaded not guilty to the charges.
If found guilty of attempted murder in a trial, he faced a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison, as per the California penal code. Additional time could have been added for the other counts. With his settlement, the judge could sentence Velasquez to time served and probation up to life in prison.
