{"id":8706011,"date":"2023-01-04T14:11:48","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T22:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8706011&preview=true&preview_id=8706011"},"modified":"2023-01-05T06:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:06:16","slug":"cain-velasquez-splits-from-celebrity-attorney-for-prospective-shooting-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/04\/cain-velasquez-splits-from-celebrity-attorney-for-prospective-shooting-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Cain Velasquez splits from celebrity attorney Mark Geragos for shooting trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN JOSE \u2014 Former mixed-martial arts fighter Cain Velasquez will no longer be backed in court by celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, opting for a local attorney to lead his defense against attempted murder and other charges<\/a> set for trial after he allegedly chased then shot at a man accused of molesting his child.<\/p>\n

\"Cain
Cain Velasquez appears for his arraignment at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. Velasquez, the former UFC champion based out of San Jose, was charged with shooting at a man accused of molesting his child. (Dai Sugano\/Bay Area News Group) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Until his preliminary examination this past fall, Velasquez had been represented by a high-profile legal team led by Geragos and partnered with San Jose-based defense attorney Renee Hessling.<\/p>\n

Velasquez appeared in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday to affirm that Hessling alone would represent him going forward. He is scheduled to next appear in court March 8.<\/p>\n

Hints of a defense change surfaced at a November arraignment<\/a> in which attorney Edward Sousa made a special appearance for Velasquez. Sousa mentioned Hessling but not Geragos or Alexandra Kazarian, who had also been part of the defense team up to that point.<\/p>\n

Hessling did not offer any comment on the counsel change after Wednesday\u2019s hearing, and the Geragos firm did not immediately comment in response to an inquiry from the Bay Area News Group.<\/p>\n

For most of the year, Geragos aggressively advocated for Velasquez to be released from jail custody with bail and supervision conditions. He prevailed in November after initially being rebuffed by county Superior Court Judge Shelyna Brown and the Sixth District Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n

The charges against Velasquez were greenlit for trial after a preliminary examination<\/a>; Judge Arthur Bocanegra granted him $1 million bail<\/a> and monitored release, and later approved his travel to an out-of-state wrestling event since it fell under Velasquez\u2019s employment as a professional fighter.<\/p>\n

Velasquez is charged with shooting at 44-year-old Harry Goularte Jr. as he traveled with his mother Patricia Goularte and his stepfather Paul Bender, who were reportedly driving him from Morgan Hill to San Jose on Feb. 28 to get fitted for an ankle monitor at a county office. Bender was wounded in the encounter, which happened after a protracted car chase.<\/p>\n