SAN JOSE — Former mixed-martial arts fighter Cain Velasquez will not be backed in courtroom by superstar lawyer Mark Geragos, choosing a neighborhood lawyer to guide his protection in opposition to tried homicide and different fees set for trial after he allegedly chased then shot at a person accused of molesting his baby.
Till his preliminary examination this previous fall, Velasquez had been represented by a high-profile authorized group led by Geragos and partnered with San Jose-based protection lawyer Renee Hessling.
Velasquez appeared in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday to affirm that Hessling alone would signify him going ahead. He’s scheduled to subsequent seem in courtroom March 8.
For many of the 12 months, Geragos aggressively advocated for Velasquez to be launched from jail custody with bail and supervision situations, and prevailed in November after initially being rebuffed by county Superior Courtroom Choose Shelyna Brown and the Sixth District Courtroom of Enchantment.
After the costs in opposition to Velasquez had been greenlit for trial after a preliminary examination, Choose Arthur Bocanegra granted him $1 million bail and monitored launch, and later authorized his journey to an out-of-state wrestling occasion because it fell below Velasquez’s employment as an expert fighter.
Velasquez is charged with taking pictures at 44-year-old Harry Goularte Jr. as he traveled together with his mom Patricia Goularte and his stepfather Paul Bender, who had been reportedly driving him from Morgan Hill to San Jose on Feb. 28 to get fitted for an ankle monitor at a county workplace. Bender was wounded within the encounter, which occurred after a protracted automotive chase.
Three days earlier, Goularte Jr. was arraigned on a felony cost of a lewd and lascivious act with a baby, primarily based on claims that he abused Velasquez’s son at a San Martin residence daycare run by his mom. Goularte Jr. was granted supervised launch over the objection of prosecutors.
Velasquez faces as much as life in jail if he’s convicted of the costs. Geragos indicated in earlier courtroom filings that Velasquez suffered impulse management points and mind accidents from his mixed-martial arts profession, which incorporates two UFC heavyweight title belts whereas preventing out of San Jose.
Velasquez’s protection up to now prompt they might proxy litigate the sexual-assault cost in opposition to Goularte Jr., on the premise that Velasquez was taking motion after the criminal-justice system failed his household. Velasquez can also be suing Goularte Jr. and his dad and mom for the alleged sexual abuse; progress of the lawsuit has been paused pending the prison case.
Examine again later for updates to this story.
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Autor Robert Salonga
