Cain Velasquez appeared in court on Friday for a plea hearing that was ultimately extended until June 30 as lawyers continue to work through discovery issues on the case.
Velasquez, who has been in custody since February, briefly appeared at the hearing with Judge Jose Franco, who granted the continuance as requested by Velasquez’s attorney Mark Geragos.
” As we talked at the side bar, discovery is ongoing and we must have court approval for June 30,” Geragos stated in court. “If we can’t work out our discovery issues, I’ll follow the court’s procedures for the other courtroom hopefully before that date but this is the reserve date in this court.”
Discovery refers to the exchange of information among parties concerning witnesses or evidence that could be used in a trial.
This is the third continuance for plea hearings in this case.
Velasquez was initially arrested on Feb. 28 after he allegedly engaged in a high-speed pursuit of a car carrying Harry Goularte, who is accused of molesting a close relative of the ex-UFC heavyweight champion. Velasquez allegedly fired multiple rounds from a . handgun of the caliber was used to attack Goularte. Paul Bender, Goularte’s stepfather, sustained non-life-threatening injuries when he was struck by a gunshot.
Goularte later pled guilty and was released on bail, despite the objections of the prosecutor.
Velasquez was later detained by police without any incident, and has been held in prison ever since.
He’s twice been denied bail in the case, with presiding Judge Shelyna Brown condemning Velasquez’s actions as a “reckless disregard for human life.”
Since his arrest, Velasquez has received overwhelming support from the mixed martial arts community with multiple letters written on his behalf, including one from UFC president Dana White ahead of his initial arraignment in March.
Velasquez may face 20 life imprisonment if he is convicted on all the charges.
