SAN JOSE — A Santa Clara County judge ruled Tuesday that former UFC champion Cain Velasquez must go to trial on attempted murder and other charges stemming from a February shooting.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra announced his ruling after a two-day preliminary hearing on whether or not there was enough evidence to advance the charges to a jury trial next year.
The 40-year-old Velasquez has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder, three counts each of assault with a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon and three associated gun-crime charges.
Velasquez has been held without bail since his arrest eight months ago. His defense team led by Mark Geragos asked the judge on Tuesday to reconsider a plea to allow Velasquez to be released on bail.
Authorities said Morgan Hill police received word around 3 p.m. Feb. 28 of a shooting near the intersection of Cochrane Road and Butterfield Boulevard.
Responding officers arrived to find Paul Bender, Goularte’s stepfather, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to police, Velasquez followed Bender’s vehicle because Goularte was inside. At the time of the shooting, Bender was driving Goularte to obtain an electronic monitoring bracelet that was a condition of his release from jail.
Velasquez chased the victim’s vehicle, a Chevy Silverado, for 11 miles before ramming into it.
After the collision, authorities said Velasquez opened fire on the vehicle with a handgun, hitting Bender. Goularte’s mother, who was in the vehicle, called 911.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, three days earlier, Goularte Jr. was arraigned on a charge of a lewd and lascivious act with a child, based on claims that he abused Velasquez’s child at a San Martin home daycare run by his mother.
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