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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is awaiting trial in January for attempted murder of Harry Goularte, and the shooting of Goularte’s stepfather Paul Bender, during a prolonged vehicle chase in Santa Clara County, California in February of last year.
Cain Velasquez has filed a civil suit against Goularte
Velasquez has filed a civil suit against Goularte and his family who own a child-care facility at which Velasquez alleges his son was molested by Goularte.
As the Los Angeles Times reported: “The Velasquez family claims Harry Goularte was allowed to spend time alone with the minor and other children on the property, including time he spent with children in a bathroom and a playhouse for extended periods of time. The child-care business and its owners “fostered and maintained an environment” where the children could be molested, sexually abused and harassed, the Velasquez family said in its lawsuit. Velasquez’s son spent five days a week at the home from 2021 to 2022, according to the complaint filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court this week.”
Naturally, given the circumstances and the nature of the allegations against Goularte, there has been enormous sympathy for Velasquez from the MMA community.
Joe Rogan is just one of many voices in MMA who have expressed sympathy with Velasquez.
“My only wish is that he did it with his hands. My only wish is that he just ran that car off the road, pulled that guy out of the car, and beat him to death,” Rogan said on his podcast.
Cain Velasquez reflects on 8-months in jail
Understandably, many supporters of Velasquez feel his lengthy pre-trial imprisonment is deeply unfair.
But, at least now, given some time to reflect on the whole thing, it seems as though Cain Velasquez feels that his time behind bars might have actually been for the better.
“I wasn’t trying to step on anybody’s toes, or not play with the program, or anything like that,” Velasquez said on a recent episode of the JAXXON podcast, speaking about his decision to go into ‘Protective Custody’ while in jail (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I have no idea what the politics are. I got to know a little bit more, being in.
“Obviously, I have respect for everybody, and everybody’s living in their world and doing their thing. But I took the opportunity to be with myself for the time. It was good and bad, but it was mainly good. I believe a lot of people should experience something like that, like have their freedoms taken away, to appreciate what you have, and it’s the smallest of things that we take for granted.”
“We’re so blessed every day, and we’re so down on the dumbest things,” he said. “When s*** gets taken away, you realize, ‘Oh, I had all this, I had all this.’ I had the opportunity to just leave when I wanted to. Leave in my car and go outside, look at something, look at nature. Have the opportunity to go look at something like that and appreciate the day.
“Each day, we’re never really the same. Each moment, when you look at something, like a tree, something so small like that, that tree will never look like that, ever again, except for that moment that you’re looking at it. It will never be the same, how the leaves are, how the wind is blowing. If you want to go that deep, it will never be the same again, except for that one moment. So take the time, appreciate that moment was for you.
“So, little stuff like that. I started getting, whatever throughout the day, little wins. Something little, and I would just be grateful for that. Thankful for it. So it wasn’t like I was in a bad place. No, man. I’m here. I’m here. It doesn’t matter what this changes to. I’ve been poor. I’ve been at the top. It doesn’t matter what I see. I’m always here, and that’s all that matters, and it matters what I make of this, like how I feel inside is what matters.”
Harry Goularte Jr. still awaiting trial as well
In February, Judge Javier Alcala determined that Harry Goularte Jr will face trial for one felony count of lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14. That determination followed a hearing at which Cain Velasquez’ wife and child both testified.
Most recently, MMA Junkie provided an update on Goularte’s case, back in July, noting that the accused sex offender was granted a continuation until August 30th for his trial-setting date, meaning that he would not be set to face the courts until at least October. As of late September, it appears that Goularte has been granted another continuance, pushing out his next court appearance to November of 2023.
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