Cain Velasquez Lawyer: Victims Want ‘Exorbitant’ Payout

Cain Velasquez faces big financial demands after his attorney, Renee Hessling, spoke out. 

Vasquez is currently serving five years in jail, which could be reduced for good behavior. This was following his 2022 arrest in relation to an attempted murder charge. There were also other charges in relation to a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. He had fired shots at a vehicle where Harry Goularte was. Goularte had been accused of sexually abusing Velasquez’s son. The gunshots hit Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender. The latter did not suffer critical injuries. Vasquez was looking at a possible 30 years in jail. However, following a plea deal, he was given five years. 

Velasquez’s Setence

“Today’s results are bittersweet — we had hoped Mr. Velasquez would remain out of jail. However, the facts remain clear: Cain Velasquez is a good man, a devoted father, and a respected member of the community. What he and his family have endured has been nothing short of a living nightmare — one they did not deserve.

“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character. He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable. “The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines. When he is released, he will continue to lead by example — protecting, contributing, and caring for the people around him,” Hessling said 

“From what I can say as far as myself, the way that I handled things was not the way to do it. We cannot put the law in our own hands. … I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to [do] to pay that back,” Velasquez stated 

Legal Woes

Velasquez’s side have issued a civil lawsuit against the Goulartes. Velasquez did not appear in his latest court hearing, as his attorney was in attendance at the restitution hearing. The hearing would determine how much Velasquez would pay. The judge in charge has set a new date for June 3 as the parties try to decide the figure. The prosecutor’s side and Velasquez’s attorney have spoken out. 

“The victims in this case are seeking an exorbitant amount of money. Defense position is that [is] unreasonable. So we do intend on litigating this. There definitely is restitution owed by Mr. Velasquez here. However, there are some claims that he owes money for their daycare and they’re asking for $1 million dollars in restitution on that end. “That is certainly something that we are litigating but [Deputy District Attorney Aaron French] is correct that I think we can come to some stipulations on some of these issues and then we can narrow down what is left from there,” Hessing stated 

“I know the victims are eager to move past this chapter of their life. Hopefully the defense will have the documents they’re seeking by the next court date and we can set a hearing following that,” Aaron French