Another chapter unfolded in the former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s battle for his freedom.
Velasquez was arrested last week in San Jose, California after allegedly attempting to murder a suspected child predator, Harry Eugene Goularte. Goularte was charged with molesting one of Velasquez’s young relatives.
Unfortunately for the 39-year old, he ended up shooting Goularte’s stepfather instead, after ramming the vehicle following an 11-mile high-speed chase.
The AAA professional wrestler is now facing a minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted on the charges.
And now, one of the undisclosed judges working on the case has requested extra security in light of some alleged. Most of supporters have been persistent in showing up for hearings and holding up signs in front of the court. This is in addition to fund raising for his legal bills.
Former sheriff lieutenant, Mark Gracia told NBC Bay Area that the request is “not surprising” as he addressed the reasoning behind one of the judges’ concerns for safety.
“No, I’m not surprised at all,” Garcia said. “You look at each and every case and you also do a threat assessment. And you come up with an idea and the tools necessary to provide them safety.”
The supporters of Velasquez were in clear disagreement with judges’ recent rulings to keep the former two-time champion in jail with no bail while releasing the accused child molester Goularte–which Velasquez reportedly targeted–on his own recognizance with no bail.
“Forty years of doing this, I can’t believe the criminal justice system thinks this is the right outcome,” said Mark Garagos, Velasquez’s attorney.
Several figures from the MMA community have voiced their support to Velasquez through social media. But some of them took it on another level like the UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson.
Brunson led a charge to provide financial support for Velasquez by selling “Free Cain Velasquez” t-shirts on his website which successfully raised $10,000 to cover legal fees for Velasquez who is now held at a Bay Area jail.
There is currently a Gosendme campaign dedicated to helping the Velasquez family through this difficult time.