Cain Velasquez, Former MMA Champion, Charged with Attempted Murder

Former two-time Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez was charged with a slew of alleged crimes on March 2 in northern California, including attempted murder.

Santa Clara County authorities said Velasquez was being held for attempted murder for a San Jose shooting that left a man with non-life-threatening injuries.

Cain Velasquez, a 39-year-old San Jose resident, was charged on February 28 after police said he rammed into and shot at a vehicle carrying a man who allegedly molested a juvenile relative of Velasquez’s. 

Morgan Hill Police received a report of gunfire shortly after 3 p.m. on February 28. When officers arrived, they discovered victim Paul Bender, who was suffering from gunshot wounds. Bender was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. 

According to police, Cain Velasquez pursued Bender’s vehicle because it contained Harry Goularte, 43, who was charged with felony child molestation but was released by authorities. Bender, Goularte’s stepfather, was driving him to get an electronic monitoring bracelet that was a condition of his release from jail at the time of the shooting. 

Cain Velasquez allegedly pursued the victim’s Chevy Silverado for eleven miles before colliding with it. After the collision, Velasquez fired a handgun at the vehicle, hitting Bender. Goularte’s mother, who was in the vehicle, dialed 911. 

The Santa Clara County Hall of Justice was packed with Cain Velasquez supporters on March 3, KPIX CBS News reports. 

“I don’t blame him. I 100% don’t blame him,” said Eric Christensen. “What Cain did, he had to take matters into his own hands.”

“What he did was put the public in danger,” countered prosecuting attorney Aaron French.

According to KPIX 5, Paula Canny, a criminal defense attorney, legal analyst, and long-time former deputy district attorney, agrees with French. 

Cain Velasquez was booked into the Santa Clara County central jail and held without bail after hiring celebrity attorney Mark Geragos. The date of his arraignment had been set for March 3, but it had been pushed back to March 7. 

“The community is behind him on what happened,” said family friend Erin McNabb. 

Cain Velasquez is charged with attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm, carrying a loaded weapon with the intent to commit a felony, willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and assault with a deadly weapon. 

Authorities accused Goularte of acting inappropriately at a childcare facility run by his wife, Patricia, where Goularte lived but did not work, according to charging documents. 

Goularte is accused of inappropriately touching a child multiple times at the facility, which has a capacity of twenty children. Velasquez’s relative is thought to be the victim, and Patricia Goularte confirmed to police that Velasquez had employed her daycare facility for the past two years. 

Goularte had been released as part of the “Supervised Own Recognizance Program” (SORP), against the district attorney’s office request, CBS reports. 

“The court disagreed with us and agreed that he could be released without bail,” said Santa Clara County Assistant DA Angela Bernhard. “That was not a decision that we agreed with. We respect the judge’s decision in that case. We do not believe that that justified the conduct in this case, particularly given how reckless it was and how much it endangered the general public.” 

Velasquez’s wife, Michelle, had no comment at the Hall of Justice in downtown San Jose but invited friends and supporters to the hearing on Wednesday afternoon. A large crowd of supporters arrived, wearing “#FreeCain” t-shirts, and chanted slogans at the judge in Goularte’s case. 

“I think it is unacceptable that our justice system let (Goularte) free. It’s unacceptable,” said Erin McNabb.

Goularte’s release was justified, according to Canny, because of California’s zero bail law, which allows people arrested on misdemeanors and many nonviolent felonies to bail out of custody with no money. 

Injuries forced Cain Velasquez to retire from MMA in 2019. He won the UFC heavyweight championship twice in his career, in 2010 and 2012.