March 14, 2024 • 31 mins
The Mixed Martial Arts community were stunned when beloved heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested for apparently trying to kill a man by shooting from his car while chasing the other car down the highway. But this man known as a teddy bear outside the cage would soon be revealed as an avenging father, as the story slowly leaked that Cain’s young son was abused by the man in the other car. Two criminal cases make their way through the legal system but the men are treated very differently. Join ESPN sportscaster and journalist Jay Harris is he uncovers the shocking facts that soon have everyone calling Cain a vigilante.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals, where I Jay Harris
will help you quench your thirst for the absolute juiciest
sports scandals. I have over twenty years of experience as
a journalist and sportscaster hosting a variety of ESPN shows
from Sports Center to Outside the Lines, but there's nothing
quite as refreshing as serving up insider stories right here
(00:28):
for all of you on playing dirty. Drink up people,
because you need serious energy for today's tale. I'm talking
about a one thousand calorie per hour burn as we
(00:48):
beat our way into the world of mixed martial arts
or MMA. First of all, if we don't know that
much about MMA, it's okay, and you're definitely not alone.
It's not as mainstream as baseball, football, or even badminton.
Yet as recently as made twenty twenty three, Statista reported
the twenty three percent of males in the US and
(01:10):
six percent of females regarded themselves as MMA fans. But
even though it's a minority of Americans watching MMA regularly,
these stats are still a major win for the sport.
Why because MMA, which is based on striking, grappling, and
ground fighting, is.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Relatively new on the sports scene.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
In fact, the first MMA promotion in the US, the
Tough Guy Contest, didn't happen until nineteen seventy nine, and
just four years later, in nineteen eighty three, the Tough
Guy Bill was passed by the Pennsylvania State Senate. This
temporarily quashed all legal MMA in Pennsylvania and got Senator
John McCain all fired up about fully banning MMA from
(01:52):
the entire United States. McCain famously described MMA as human cockfighting,
and his crusade against the sports secured multiple state bans,
including New York. McCain also made big strides in the
court of public opinion, successfully cementing many Americans' perception of
MMA as archaic and brutal. The numerous state bands on
(02:15):
MMA made for a rocky start to the sport's adoption
in America, until after almost two decades of counter campaigning,
the legal restrictions were finally removed. MMA became a nationally
recognized and fully regulated sport on April fourteenth, twenty sixteen.
As with so many things, the United States remains pretty
(02:36):
darn divided about MMA even today. Those against MMA say
that the fights are too vicious and too bloody. That
twenty three point six percent of MMA fighters receive at
least minor brain damage, and that athletes locked in a
cage with nowhere to run sets a dangerous example for
susceptible viewers. Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep has made
(02:58):
clear her dislike of MMA, saying that it is not
an art and that violence incites violence, but fans of
MMA argue that its injury stats are actually on par
with other sports such as boxing and football, and that
MMA provides a great full body workout. Besides, those in
this camp, like Academy Award winning actors Charlie Staron, are
(03:20):
self proclaimed to be completely, completely, utterly obsessed with the sport.
Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent to MMA, the
reality is that under the leadership of Ultimate Fighting Championship
CEO Dana White, MMA has cornered an impressive chunk of
the US sports market in a very short time period,
(03:41):
becoming a multi billion dollar industry. Legendary MMA star Connor
McGregor has amassed a net worth in excess of two
hundred million dollars. The longest raining UFC lightweight champion, Kabib
Nevega Metoff has generated over forty million, and heavyweight champion.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Brock Lesner has more than twenty. So now you know.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Blood sport pays big and money will always attract people,
especially those who know what it's like not to have
any people like Caine Velasquez. Before we get into Caine's career,
let's talk about his father, Efren Velasquez, because truly that's
where this story starts. Efrin ventured to the United States
(04:22):
as an illegal immigrant, walking more than fifty miles across
the desert from Sonora, Mexico to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Efron did this.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Six times, six times, and guess what, he was deported
all six times. But Efyn refused to quit, and on
his seventh crossing into the United States, he met an
American woman named Isabelle, fell in love and got married.
Efron gained his American citizenship through marriage to Isabelle, and
they had three children together, Efrin Junior, Adela, and on
(04:53):
July twenty eighth, nineteen eighty two, Cain was born. The
Velaskaz family was rich in love but poor in material comforts.
They lived in Yuma, Arizona, where Efrin and Isabelle worked
tirelessly as farm laborers picking cabbage and watermelon from sun
up to sundown to support their family. From an early age,
Kan would join his parents in the field, helping them
(05:15):
to make ends meet.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
To see them.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Work so hard for so little pay, it put things
into perspective and he got past to me, I got
their work ethic, Caine said, with more than a little pride.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Years later.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Nothing is given to you in this world, so you
have to work hard. Caine never ever forgot the sacrifices
that his parents made, and he held his father's Mexican
heritage close to his heart, drawing strength from it during
difficult times, and ultimately having the words brown pride tattooed
across his chest. In an interview with Mma Mania, Kane
(05:48):
explain the why behind his prominent body art. I got
this tattoo for two reasons, Caine said. One for everything
my parents did to come over to this country, all
the hardships they had round pride when we were growing up.
Mexican pride, that's how we would say it. It's something
to say if we're proud about where we came from.
I'm proud of where I came from. I'm proud of
(06:10):
what Mexican people stand for. We're known as hard working people.
We're known as fighters. We're known to have a lot
of heart. We're known to never give up in the
gym and have a lot of cardio, to always work hard.
The work ethic that my dad all the Mexican people
bring out in the fields and stuff we bring to
the gym and whatever else we do. Another reason why
(06:33):
I got it is because when I was growing up,
I didn't have anybody to look up to. There's nobody
that was my size, that was Mexican, that looked like me,
that I could see in the media. I pretty much
didn't have those dreams of hey, I can do that stuff,
I can be in the media, I can play professional sports.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody to look
up to.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So now that I'm in that position, I put brown
pride on my chest to let people know, Hey, I'm Mexican,
proud to be Mexican.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I'm doing good things.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And Kane Velasquez was doing good things, from working hard
in the fields to training tirelessly to achieve his dream
of becoming a professional athlete. Kane Velasquez would ultimately pull
himself out of poverty and into the big time. Caine's
first foray into competitive sports was at Cofa High School,
where he became a two sport phenomenon in wrestling and football.
(07:26):
During his senior year, Kine was the captain of both
the wrestling and football teams, but it was his talent
on the wrestling match that was especially undeniable. Over the
course of his four years at Cofa High School, Kine
compiled a one hundred, ten and ten record while capturing
the five A Arizona Wrestling Championship title twice. After high school,
(07:47):
Kine took his wrestling skills to the collegiate level, winning
the NJCAA National Championship in the heavyweight division for Iowa's
Central Community College. His strong performance for Iowa Central Community
College provided Kine with the opportunity to transfer to Arizona
State University, where he wrestled for the Sun Devils for
three seasons, compiling a record of eighty six and seventeen,
(08:10):
placing fifth in the country in two thousand and five
and fourth in the country in two thousand and six.
He earned All American status twice while at Arizona State University,
while simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. Cain
faced a crossroads after his graduation from Arizona State University.
He'd heard about opportunities in the rising sport of MMA
(08:32):
and thought that given in his background, he could really
slay as a professional mixed martial artist with some training,
But his friends and family weren't wildly on.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Board with the idea. Think about it.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
From their perspective, it was the early two thousands, so
mma wasn't really all that established as a sport yet,
and the little that the Belasquez had heard about MMA
sounded incredibly violent and incredibly dangerous. It's certainly understandable that
Caine's parents would have reservations about their son choosing such
a fraught career path. They wanted him to become a teacher,
(09:06):
but Cain had a feeling that he was destined for
UFC greatness, so he respectfully went his own way, turning
his attention to MMA training. This decision was not an
easy one for Cain, not from a feel good about
not making the folks worry perspective, and definitely not from
a logistics standpoint. Since his training facility was in San Jose, California,
(09:26):
a two hour drive from his home Cain had to
take a long road trip back to his own bed
after working an evening shift as a bouncer. Sometimes I
wouldn't want to go all the way back home, so
I wouldn't, Kane admitted years later. The next day my
mom would ask where did you stay? And I'd tell
my mom, Oh, I stayed at a coach's house, but
had actually sleep in my car a lot. I'd be
parked outside the home depot across the street, and then
(09:48):
get up whenever it was time to train. Caine's hard
work and sacrifices paid off in the octagon, which is
the intimidating cage mma fighters enter into for their matches.
Is UFC debut against Brad Morris at UFC eighty three
in two thousand and eight and won by TKO a
technical knockout in the first round. His professional star wars
(10:11):
rising fast. But it wasn't just his MMA training time
that was paying off in a big way. The bouncer
job he had to make financial ends meet ended up
being just as meaningful. More so even you see, Kane
had noticed Michelle Borkat, a girl who frequented the bar
where he worked as a bouncer. It wasn't just Michelle's flowing,
(10:31):
light brown hair and smile that turned Kane's head. She
was funny and quick witted and kind. So Caine carefully
checked her idea to make sure she was legal, because hey,
he was a bouncer. And then he approached Michelle. Their
connection was instant and deep. On May sixth, two thousand
and nine, they welcomed their first child, Coral Love Velsquez.
(10:54):
On February twenty third, twenty ten, Caine proposed to Michelle
on Bondai Beach in New South Wales, Australia. I wanted
to catch her off guard, Kane remembers with a laugh.
So as we were walking along the beach, I went
down as though I hurt my ankle. She didn't know
what was going on. And then I got serious and
started saying some words that I love her and want
to raise a family with her. That's how I proposed.
(11:17):
Michelle remembers her proposal with a smile too. I was
laughing the whole time, she said. Kine was acting a
little weird when we went for our walk. When he
went down, he said, my foot, my foot, but he
had this big smile on his face. And then he
started getting off serious and proposing, but he didn't give
any time. When you say a joke, you normally let
the person laugh a little bit. There was no gap,
(11:38):
Michelle added. So while Caine didn't have fantastic acting chops,
he did leave Bondai Beach engaged to the love of
his life and finally with a long courtship and a
child between them. On May twenty eight, twenty eleven, Michelle
and Kane made it all official, tying the knot in
a wedding ceremony in Tempe, Arizona. Michelle and two year
(11:59):
old Coral twin wearing matching mother daughter ruffled dresses to
the ceremony. His wife and daughter provided Kin with a
grounding force away from the adrenaline filled world of MMA.
Kane has even gone on record with UFC dot Com saying,
all the love you get from your family, knowing that
they're always there, it's just the best thing. It definitely
(12:19):
keeps you grounded, It definitely keeps you focused, and there's
no bs. Family are the people that love you and
are always around you. Michelle was Caine's rock, and their
family life together fueled his professional success. He had loved
ones to support now, and Kane would stop at nothing
to give his family the very best chance at realizing
their dreams, just as his own parents had done for
(12:42):
him and his siblings. Kane missed Michelle and Coral tremendously
when he was away fighting. His friend and later on
WWE combatant Ray Mysterio said, Kine is a loving man
who has consistently gone above and beyond to provide the
best possible life for his family. He has expressed to
me how heart it is having to leave them behind
at home when he travels in order to pay the
(13:03):
bills or put food on his family's table. It wasn't easy,
but Kain was fighting for his family now, and that
gave him tremendous strength. When he wasn't taking choral to
father daughter dances, having family Wednesie nights, treating his ladies
to Broadway musicals in New York City, helping with homework,
or whisking Michelle off on a date, Kine was training
(13:25):
or competing. His fighting style was a blend of explosive
power and technical wrestling, and his performance in the octagon
was like anything UFC viewers had ever seen before, being
unique as an asset in the octagon, so Cain quickly
became a fan favorite. Despite his bulk at six one,
two hundred and forty pounds, Kin moved forward quickly and
(13:47):
constantly when fighting, giving his opponents very little room to
land clean strikes. Always family focused, Cain credited the days
when he would toss watermelons in the fields with his
dad effort for his legendary stamina. He had such tremendous
endurance that his trademark was to continue fighting aggressively well
after his opponents became exhausted. This tactic earned him the
(14:09):
nickname Cardio Kane. Kane's journey through the ranks of the
UFC was marked by notable victories.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Each showcasing his skill and resilience.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
UFC one ten was a career highlight when He's surprised
commentators by defeating former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former interim
UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogera in a first round ko,
earning Knockout of the Night honors With his victory open Nagera.
Kine earned a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight with then champion
(14:39):
brock Lesnar at UFC one twenty one. UFC brought back
UFC primetime specifically to promote the Lessner versus Velasquez fight.
This was a big deal, and when Kane Velasquez defeated
Brock Lessner via TKO in the first round, he'd solidified
himself as a bona fide UFC star. I know what
a I've had to do from the beginning, Kine said,
(15:02):
I have to train and win. That's all it comes
down to winning. But for Cain, winning at MMA, however
much you relished, his career in being a Mexican role
model was always second to being a committed husband and father.
So when his son, Kane Velaskazh Junior was born in
twenty eighteen, Cain soaked up every moment as a new
(15:23):
family of four, which happened to coincide with a thirty
one month hiatus from the octagon to heal his body
after beating Travis Brown at UFC two hundred. The time
that I was away from USC was something that I cherished,
Caine said. It's very rare that somebody gets to step
away from what they do for work and be at
home and be with their family. Kane Velaska's truly epitomized
(15:48):
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier's belief that you measure
a man by how he is to his family, his children.
Cain was, by all accounts an excellent dad. Whether he
was in the octagon or at home, Kane Velasquez had
his children top of mind. He was a fighter and
a father who understood that his children were his reason
(16:09):
for competing, his reason for pushing himself so very hard.
Caane's children wore his world, his motivation, and a constant
reminder of the values and heritage he aspired to pass
down from his own parents and heroes, Ephren and Isabel. Okay,
(16:30):
so now it's time for the twist. What Kane Velasquez
was about to face has got to be one of
the darkest nightmares imaginable, far more frightening than anything he
ever faced in the octagon. So drink up, embrace yourself
for a terrifying ride. It's Monday, February twenty eighth, twenty
(16:55):
twenty two, a little after three pm in the afternoon,
and a black Suv is roaring through the streets of
South San Josea near Morgan Hill, in pursuit of a
Chevy Silverado pickup truck. The suv rams into the pickup
truck repeatedly before the suv driver lifts a forty caliber
semi automatic handgun and fires into the Chevy. What in
(17:16):
the world is going on? Things like this don't usually
happen in the Morgan Hill area, an extremely affluent residential
community ranked in the top five hundred most expensive areas
to live by Forbes Magazine. It's the seat of several
high tech companies in a dining, entertainment and recreational destination
thanks to as many fancy hotels, wineries, and nature parks,
(17:40):
so dry by shootings are definitely not expected in this
neck of the woods. It wasn't just shocking that this
extreme armed road rage was happening in such a nice area.
It was also unthinkable that a celebrity who actually lived
in the area, just up the road in his fifty
one hundred square foot one point seven million dollar mansion,
(18:00):
was the one behind the wheel of the guns blazing
black suv. Locals recognized him behind the wheel and were
stunned to see their accomplished neighbor, a devoted husband and
father apparently chasing after and firing a gun into a
Chevy Silverado pickup truck containing three terrified people.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
It appeared as though family man kane Velasquez, who had
picked himself up from nothing and empowered Mexicans to believe
in their dreams, was now putting everything he'd built on
the line, everything his parents sacrificed for on the line,
to go after the people in this pickup truck. Why
it was totally out of character. Sure, Kane Velasquez was
(18:41):
a fierce fighter in the cage at work, but he
never brought that side of him home.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
His colleague could be even.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Nevega Metov had described him as an honest and kind
hearted person who would do anything for his family and friends.
So why would Kin aggressively pursue and try to gun
down the family of three in the fleeing chevy, A mother,
a stepfather, and their adult son. Surely this action ran
contrary to everything Cain stood for, protecting the stability, security,
(19:08):
and sanctity of his family above all else. As the
dust settled with a horrifying eleven mile car chase and
alleged shooting coming to an end at three fourteen PM,
kane Velaskaz exited his suv and was taken without a fight.
Into custody by local law enforcement. The Chevy Silverado pickup
truck he had pursued was riddled with bullets, and one
(19:31):
of its passengers was moaning clearly injured. Kine must have
known that his face would be plastered all over the news,
that he would be hauled off to prison, and that
his family would suffer for his actions.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
What possible reason.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Could Kin have for upending his life with what appeared
to be such a brash, attempted murder. He had everything
going for him, a thriving MMA career, financial success, a beautiful,
supportive wife, two healthy, doting children. From the outside looking in,
there seemed no apparent reason for Kane Velaskaz to have
engaged in such an outrageous criminal act. Immediately, people's suspect
(20:08):
of MMA as a sport pointed to CTE, or chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, saying that a brain injury would explain Caine's sudden,
uncharacteristic action. Surely, what had occurred could only be attributed
to CTE symptoms, including behavior problems, mood problems, and problems
with thinking. After all, NFL player Philip Adams had been
(20:29):
suffering from CTE before killing six people.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And then himself.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Cincinnati Bingle's wide receiver Chris Henry was accused of assault
had multiple arrests for illegal substance and gun charges before
dying at age twenty six with an advanced CTE diagnosis.
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jvonne Belcher, also diagnosed with CTE,
shot his girlfriend and then himself at age twenty five,
leaving behind their young daughter. Athletes suffering from chronic traumatic
(20:57):
incephalopathy certainly at a history of violent outbursts outside of
their professional careers. The assumption of CTE fit. But the
more frightening prospect was that Caine was acting rationally in
accordance with society's expectations of him. Definitely not, but rationally
arguably yes. You see, parents are, for the most part,
(21:21):
biologically conditioned to do anything to protect their kids. There
are certainly plenty of instances in which parents buck this
scientific hypothesis and don't adequately protect their children.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
You only have to consider the.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Parents who allegedly abandon their nine year old daughter to
a bison attack at Yellowstone National Park, or abusive mom
slash influencer Ruby Frankie, or even at other species like
the Quaker. One of the smallest wallaby species in Australia
who drop their young for predators in order to ensure
their own escape. To know that there are exceptions to
(21:55):
this rule, but according to science, a majority of us
would stare down any consequence if we felt it was
in our children's best interest.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Specifically, a team.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Of neuroscientists from the Champarli Mass Center for the Unknown
in Lisbon, Portugal, discovered that radical protectiveness in parents' behavior
depends on the action of the so called love hormone
oxytocin on the neurons of the amygdala, a brain structure
known for its crucial role in the processing of emotional reactions.
So if you're a parent and someone hurts your child,
(22:27):
you don't need to be a professional combat fighter suffering
from CTE to want or even try to take that
person down.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
It's instinctual.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So while the entire car chase and shooting was surreal,
the people who knew Kane velasque as well, even as
they watched him in custody on the news, believed that
if he had in fact been behind the wheel of
the black suv, that he had not acted without purpose,
and that the trigger for the attack had probably been
related to protecting the people he loved most, his children.
(22:56):
After all, Kine was used to being under pressure, to
being his best under pressure. Something momentous and terribly personal
must have set off this alleged violent outburst. As the
news reports came flooding out and the victims' names were released,
Caine's nearest and dearest started to understand the fuller picture.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You see.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
The pickups passengers' names were Paddy Gulart, Paul Bender, and
Harry Gulart, and the Gallard family had just been in
the news themselves only days before. So who are the Gularts?
Well an upscale San Jose. The name Gulart had been
associated with daycare for decades. Patti Gulart ran a premier
(23:37):
nursery out of her beautiful, almost four thousand square foot
home located less than a mile away from Cain's own mansion.
Many neighborhood big wigs sent their children to Patty's daycare,
and why not. It had a great reputation and seemed
to be equipped with everything kids could want. A big
backyard to play in, plenty of light, clean indoor space,
(23:57):
healthy snacks, and comfortable napping area. Only twelve kids were
supposed to be enrolled at a time, ensuring that they could.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
All be well looked after.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
The kids who went to Patty Gillard's daycare were privileged,
and Kane Velasquez had worked hard his entire life to
make sure that his children would always be among the privileged.
He must have felt so proud, so sure sending Coral
and Kane Velasquez Junior off to Patty's daycare, pleased to
know that his precious children were in an elite, experienced environment.
(24:30):
So imagine the horror he felt at discovering that the
Goallard family had betrayed his trust. Imagine Cain's rage at
finding out that Patty Goillard's forty three year old son, Harry,
who lived in the same house where his adored children
were so many children spent their days, was an alleged
child molester. And imagine Kine's gut wrenching sadness and overwhelming
(24:52):
anger at hearing his four year old son, Kane velaskazh
Junior telling him directly that Harry Gollard had taken him
into a bathroom and molested him. When later interviewed by
the Santa Clara Police, Kane Velasquez Junior said he'd witnessed
Harry Gillard take other children into the bathroom as well.
(25:12):
The daycare, once a symbol of status, safety and care,
was now the epicenter of a tragic scandal. The trust
that parents, including Cain, had placed in the Gallart family
was irreparably broken. Cain's precious sun had been horrifically violated,
and there was no recourse sufficient for that alleged crime. Worse,
(25:34):
once the situation had been reported to the police, Harry
Gollart was released by authorities, even with the charge of
felony child molestation.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
In fact, Harry.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Was released on his own recognizance, which means he didn't
even have to post bail. He just signed a piece
of paper promising to show up for the next court date.
The only condition of Harry's release was that he would
be required to obtain an electronic monitoring bracelet. Up on
the risk treatment by the authorities for such a serious
allegation seems wrong right, and the situation devolved further into
(26:07):
the hands of the Santa Clara officials. Unbelievably, Kane Velaska's family,
already reeling from their young son's allegations, of abuse weren't
notified about Harry Gillard's release. This lack of communication quickly
became a critical point of contention. First of all, the
law requires the prosecutor to inform victim's families when a
(26:29):
defendant involved in their cases being released, so it was
a breach of legal protocol that this did not happen.
But beyond the legal oversight, imagine the distress and fear
that this lack of communication caused the Velasquez family and
all the families who had sent their children to the
Gallart daycare. It must have been a nightmare for the parents,
(26:50):
feeling that justice was slipping away and not even being
kept informed about developments that directly affected their children's safety
and well being. Remember, the Gallart's home and daycare was
only about a mile away from Kane Velasquez home. Was
Harry Gallart, who stood accused of abusing his son going
to be allowed to live down the street. Caine was
(27:10):
understandably apoplectic. Ripples of shock and confusion tore through the community.
No one wanted a child molest to back out in public,
and lack of consideration for the Velasquez family by authorities
had been undeniably appalling. The Santa Clara County Court's decision
to release Harry Gallart without bail and the prosecution's failure
(27:31):
to notify the Velasquez family raised serious questions about the
criminal justice system. How could someone accused of such a
heinous crime walk free without bail and why was the
alleged victim's family left in the dark about Harry's release.
These questions added fuel to an already blazing fire of
public and personal outrage. The release of Harry Gillart was
(27:54):
not just a procedural step in the legal process. It
was a trigger, setting off a chain of events that
would lead to the tragic and allegedly violent confrontation involving
Kane Velasquez and the Gallart family. The outraged father, Kane
Velasquaez waited three days after Harry Gillart was released back
into the public by authorities before acting. When he knew
(28:16):
that Harry Gelart was going to be transported by his
mother Patty and stepfather Paul Bender to get the mandatory
electronic monitor fitted, Caine allegedly chased them in his suv
and tried to gun down the sex offender who had
molested his son Caine missed Harry and allegedly shot Harry's stepfather,
Paul Bender, wounding him in the arm, and Torso with
(28:36):
non life threatening injuries. But the larger question being asked
by the public once all these details came out was
whether Kane Velaskaz had actually been in the wrong after all.
Was vigilante justice ever acceptable? Opinions started pouring in. Paula Canney,
a criminal defense attorney, legal analyst and longtime former deputy
(28:57):
district attorney, said that there was no excuse for Kane's behavior.
I don't want even mixed martial arts fighters who are
champions to go around and fire guns in public places
and to take the law into his own hands. It's horrifying,
it's frightening, she said. There is no defense of vigilante justice,
and that's probably a good thing, otherwise the whole system
(29:18):
would devolve into vigilanteism. There is no defense of I
was so mad I had to do it. But for
every person who agreed with Attorney Paula Canny, there seemed
to be at least one person standing up for Kane Velasquez.
Free Kane became a hashtag in general theme across social
media platforms, as many people argue that Kane Velaska's actions
(29:40):
were justified. Former UFC Welterwaite Ben Asgrin wrote, I don't
want to live in a country where you can't shoot
someone who sexually abused her child. Kyle Krutchmer posted on Twitter,
I don't want to hear anything else about CTE. This dude,
Kane Velasquez protected his family. The authorities released a scumbag.
I've always been taught to protect my family, and that's
(30:01):
at any cost.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Free Kine.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Jamal Hill summed up the MMA community stands declaring free Kine.
You touch my kids, and I'm coming the same way.
Kane Velasquez, who had always been a fighter, had now
crossed the line for what mattered most to him family,
his alleged vigilanteism. It sparked a debate, and a clash
between public opinion and legal authority was brewing. There's still
(30:25):
a whole lot of Kane Velaska's story for me to
swill up and serve people. Take your time to digest
what you've heard, and meet me back here next week
to find out what happens. I'm your host, Jay Harris,
and this is playing dirty, Playing dirty, Sports Scandals is
(30:49):
a production of Dan Patrick Productions, never Ever Productions and
Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson, Nick Panela,
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clay.
Welcome to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals, where I Jay Harris
will help you quench your thirst for the absolute juiciest
sports scandals. I have over twenty years of experience as
a journalist and sportscaster hosting a variety of ESPN shows
from Sports Center to Outside the Lines, but there's nothing
quite as refreshing as serving up insider stories right here
(00:28):
for all of you on playing dirty. Drink up people,
because you need serious energy for today's tale. I'm talking
about a one thousand calorie per hour burn as we
(00:48):
beat our way into the world of mixed martial arts
or MMA. First of all, if we don't know that
much about MMA, it's okay, and you're definitely not alone.
It's not as mainstream as baseball, football, or even badminton.
Yet as recently as made twenty twenty three, Statista reported
the twenty three percent of males in the US and
(01:10):
six percent of females regarded themselves as MMA fans. But
even though it's a minority of Americans watching MMA regularly,
these stats are still a major win for the sport.
Why because MMA, which is based on striking, grappling, and
ground fighting, is.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Relatively new on the sports scene.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
In fact, the first MMA promotion in the US, the
Tough Guy Contest, didn't happen until nineteen seventy nine, and
just four years later, in nineteen eighty three, the Tough
Guy Bill was passed by the Pennsylvania State Senate. This
temporarily quashed all legal MMA in Pennsylvania and got Senator
John McCain all fired up about fully banning MMA from
(01:52):
the entire United States. McCain famously described MMA as human cockfighting,
and his crusade against the sports secured multiple state bans,
including New York. McCain also made big strides in the
court of public opinion, successfully cementing many Americans' perception of
MMA as archaic and brutal. The numerous state bands on
(02:15):
MMA made for a rocky start to the sport's adoption
in America, until after almost two decades of counter campaigning,
the legal restrictions were finally removed. MMA became a nationally
recognized and fully regulated sport on April fourteenth, twenty sixteen.
As with so many things, the United States remains pretty
(02:36):
darn divided about MMA even today. Those against MMA say
that the fights are too vicious and too bloody. That
twenty three point six percent of MMA fighters receive at
least minor brain damage, and that athletes locked in a
cage with nowhere to run sets a dangerous example for
susceptible viewers. Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep has made
(02:58):
clear her dislike of MMA, saying that it is not
an art and that violence incites violence, but fans of
MMA argue that its injury stats are actually on par
with other sports such as boxing and football, and that
MMA provides a great full body workout. Besides, those in
this camp, like Academy Award winning actors Charlie Staron, are
(03:20):
self proclaimed to be completely, completely, utterly obsessed with the sport.
Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent to MMA, the
reality is that under the leadership of Ultimate Fighting Championship
CEO Dana White, MMA has cornered an impressive chunk of
the US sports market in a very short time period,
(03:41):
becoming a multi billion dollar industry. Legendary MMA star Connor
McGregor has amassed a net worth in excess of two
hundred million dollars. The longest raining UFC lightweight champion, Kabib
Nevega Metoff has generated over forty million, and heavyweight champion.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Brock Lesner has more than twenty. So now you know.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Blood sport pays big and money will always attract people,
especially those who know what it's like not to have
any people like Caine Velasquez. Before we get into Caine's career,
let's talk about his father, Efren Velasquez, because truly that's
where this story starts. Efrin ventured to the United States
(04:22):
as an illegal immigrant, walking more than fifty miles across
the desert from Sonora, Mexico to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Efron did this.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Six times, six times, and guess what, he was deported
all six times. But Efyn refused to quit, and on
his seventh crossing into the United States, he met an
American woman named Isabelle, fell in love and got married.
Efron gained his American citizenship through marriage to Isabelle, and
they had three children together, Efrin Junior, Adela, and on
(04:53):
July twenty eighth, nineteen eighty two, Cain was born. The
Velaskaz family was rich in love but poor in material comforts.
They lived in Yuma, Arizona, where Efrin and Isabelle worked
tirelessly as farm laborers picking cabbage and watermelon from sun
up to sundown to support their family. From an early age,
Kan would join his parents in the field, helping them
(05:15):
to make ends meet.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
To see them.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Work so hard for so little pay, it put things
into perspective and he got past to me, I got
their work ethic, Caine said, with more than a little pride.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Years later.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Nothing is given to you in this world, so you
have to work hard. Caine never ever forgot the sacrifices
that his parents made, and he held his father's Mexican
heritage close to his heart, drawing strength from it during
difficult times, and ultimately having the words brown pride tattooed
across his chest. In an interview with Mma Mania, Kane
(05:48):
explain the why behind his prominent body art. I got
this tattoo for two reasons, Caine said. One for everything
my parents did to come over to this country, all
the hardships they had round pride when we were growing up.
Mexican pride, that's how we would say it. It's something
to say if we're proud about where we came from.
I'm proud of where I came from. I'm proud of
(06:10):
what Mexican people stand for. We're known as hard working people.
We're known as fighters. We're known to have a lot
of heart. We're known to never give up in the
gym and have a lot of cardio, to always work hard.
The work ethic that my dad all the Mexican people
bring out in the fields and stuff we bring to
the gym and whatever else we do. Another reason why
(06:33):
I got it is because when I was growing up,
I didn't have anybody to look up to. There's nobody
that was my size, that was Mexican, that looked like me,
that I could see in the media. I pretty much
didn't have those dreams of hey, I can do that stuff,
I can be in the media, I can play professional sports.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody to look
up to.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So now that I'm in that position, I put brown
pride on my chest to let people know, Hey, I'm Mexican,
proud to be Mexican.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I'm doing good things.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And Kane Velasquez was doing good things, from working hard
in the fields to training tirelessly to achieve his dream
of becoming a professional athlete. Kane Velasquez would ultimately pull
himself out of poverty and into the big time. Caine's
first foray into competitive sports was at Cofa High School,
where he became a two sport phenomenon in wrestling and football.
(07:26):
During his senior year, Kine was the captain of both
the wrestling and football teams, but it was his talent
on the wrestling match that was especially undeniable. Over the
course of his four years at Cofa High School, Kine
compiled a one hundred, ten and ten record while capturing
the five A Arizona Wrestling Championship title twice. After high school,
(07:47):
Kine took his wrestling skills to the collegiate level, winning
the NJCAA National Championship in the heavyweight division for Iowa's
Central Community College. His strong performance for Iowa Central Community
College provided Kine with the opportunity to transfer to Arizona
State University, where he wrestled for the Sun Devils for
three seasons, compiling a record of eighty six and seventeen,
(08:10):
placing fifth in the country in two thousand and five
and fourth in the country in two thousand and six.
He earned All American status twice while at Arizona State University,
while simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. Cain
faced a crossroads after his graduation from Arizona State University.
He'd heard about opportunities in the rising sport of MMA
(08:32):
and thought that given in his background, he could really
slay as a professional mixed martial artist with some training,
But his friends and family weren't wildly on.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Board with the idea. Think about it.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
From their perspective, it was the early two thousands, so
mma wasn't really all that established as a sport yet,
and the little that the Belasquez had heard about MMA
sounded incredibly violent and incredibly dangerous. It's certainly understandable that
Caine's parents would have reservations about their son choosing such
a fraught career path. They wanted him to become a teacher,
(09:06):
but Cain had a feeling that he was destined for
UFC greatness, so he respectfully went his own way, turning
his attention to MMA training. This decision was not an
easy one for Cain, not from a feel good about
not making the folks worry perspective, and definitely not from
a logistics standpoint. Since his training facility was in San Jose, California,
(09:26):
a two hour drive from his home Cain had to
take a long road trip back to his own bed
after working an evening shift as a bouncer. Sometimes I
wouldn't want to go all the way back home, so
I wouldn't, Kane admitted years later. The next day my
mom would ask where did you stay? And I'd tell
my mom, Oh, I stayed at a coach's house, but
had actually sleep in my car a lot. I'd be
parked outside the home depot across the street, and then
(09:48):
get up whenever it was time to train. Caine's hard
work and sacrifices paid off in the octagon, which is
the intimidating cage mma fighters enter into for their matches.
Is UFC debut against Brad Morris at UFC eighty three
in two thousand and eight and won by TKO a
technical knockout in the first round. His professional star wars
(10:11):
rising fast. But it wasn't just his MMA training time
that was paying off in a big way. The bouncer
job he had to make financial ends meet ended up
being just as meaningful. More so even you see, Kane
had noticed Michelle Borkat, a girl who frequented the bar
where he worked as a bouncer. It wasn't just Michelle's flowing,
(10:31):
light brown hair and smile that turned Kane's head. She
was funny and quick witted and kind. So Caine carefully
checked her idea to make sure she was legal, because hey,
he was a bouncer. And then he approached Michelle. Their
connection was instant and deep. On May sixth, two thousand
and nine, they welcomed their first child, Coral Love Velsquez.
(10:54):
On February twenty third, twenty ten, Caine proposed to Michelle
on Bondai Beach in New South Wales, Australia. I wanted
to catch her off guard, Kane remembers with a laugh.
So as we were walking along the beach, I went
down as though I hurt my ankle. She didn't know
what was going on. And then I got serious and
started saying some words that I love her and want
to raise a family with her. That's how I proposed.
(11:17):
Michelle remembers her proposal with a smile too. I was
laughing the whole time, she said. Kine was acting a
little weird when we went for our walk. When he
went down, he said, my foot, my foot, but he
had this big smile on his face. And then he
started getting off serious and proposing, but he didn't give
any time. When you say a joke, you normally let
the person laugh a little bit. There was no gap,
(11:38):
Michelle added. So while Caine didn't have fantastic acting chops,
he did leave Bondai Beach engaged to the love of
his life and finally with a long courtship and a
child between them. On May twenty eight, twenty eleven, Michelle
and Kane made it all official, tying the knot in
a wedding ceremony in Tempe, Arizona. Michelle and two year
(11:59):
old Coral twin wearing matching mother daughter ruffled dresses to
the ceremony. His wife and daughter provided Kin with a
grounding force away from the adrenaline filled world of MMA.
Kane has even gone on record with UFC dot Com saying,
all the love you get from your family, knowing that
they're always there, it's just the best thing. It definitely
(12:19):
keeps you grounded, It definitely keeps you focused, and there's
no bs. Family are the people that love you and
are always around you. Michelle was Caine's rock, and their
family life together fueled his professional success. He had loved
ones to support now, and Kane would stop at nothing
to give his family the very best chance at realizing
their dreams, just as his own parents had done for
(12:42):
him and his siblings. Kane missed Michelle and Coral tremendously
when he was away fighting. His friend and later on
WWE combatant Ray Mysterio said, Kine is a loving man
who has consistently gone above and beyond to provide the
best possible life for his family. He has expressed to
me how heart it is having to leave them behind
at home when he travels in order to pay the
(13:03):
bills or put food on his family's table. It wasn't easy,
but Kain was fighting for his family now, and that
gave him tremendous strength. When he wasn't taking choral to
father daughter dances, having family Wednesie nights, treating his ladies
to Broadway musicals in New York City, helping with homework,
or whisking Michelle off on a date, Kine was training
(13:25):
or competing. His fighting style was a blend of explosive
power and technical wrestling, and his performance in the octagon
was like anything UFC viewers had ever seen before, being
unique as an asset in the octagon, so Cain quickly
became a fan favorite. Despite his bulk at six one,
two hundred and forty pounds, Kin moved forward quickly and
(13:47):
constantly when fighting, giving his opponents very little room to
land clean strikes. Always family focused, Cain credited the days
when he would toss watermelons in the fields with his
dad effort for his legendary stamina. He had such tremendous
endurance that his trademark was to continue fighting aggressively well
after his opponents became exhausted. This tactic earned him the
(14:09):
nickname Cardio Kane. Kane's journey through the ranks of the
UFC was marked by notable victories.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Each showcasing his skill and resilience.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
UFC one ten was a career highlight when He's surprised
commentators by defeating former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former interim
UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogera in a first round ko,
earning Knockout of the Night honors With his victory open Nagera.
Kine earned a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight with then champion
(14:39):
brock Lesnar at UFC one twenty one. UFC brought back
UFC primetime specifically to promote the Lessner versus Velasquez fight.
This was a big deal, and when Kane Velasquez defeated
Brock Lessner via TKO in the first round, he'd solidified
himself as a bona fide UFC star. I know what
a I've had to do from the beginning, Kine said,
(15:02):
I have to train and win. That's all it comes
down to winning. But for Cain, winning at MMA, however
much you relished, his career in being a Mexican role
model was always second to being a committed husband and father.
So when his son, Kane Velaskazh Junior was born in
twenty eighteen, Cain soaked up every moment as a new
(15:23):
family of four, which happened to coincide with a thirty
one month hiatus from the octagon to heal his body
after beating Travis Brown at UFC two hundred. The time
that I was away from USC was something that I cherished,
Caine said. It's very rare that somebody gets to step
away from what they do for work and be at
home and be with their family. Kane Velaska's truly epitomized
(15:48):
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier's belief that you measure
a man by how he is to his family, his children.
Cain was, by all accounts an excellent dad. Whether he
was in the octagon or at home, Kane Velasquez had
his children top of mind. He was a fighter and
a father who understood that his children were his reason
(16:09):
for competing, his reason for pushing himself so very hard.
Caane's children wore his world, his motivation, and a constant
reminder of the values and heritage he aspired to pass
down from his own parents and heroes, Ephren and Isabel. Okay,
(16:30):
so now it's time for the twist. What Kane Velasquez
was about to face has got to be one of
the darkest nightmares imaginable, far more frightening than anything he
ever faced in the octagon. So drink up, embrace yourself
for a terrifying ride. It's Monday, February twenty eighth, twenty
(16:55):
twenty two, a little after three pm in the afternoon,
and a black Suv is roaring through the streets of
South San Josea near Morgan Hill, in pursuit of a
Chevy Silverado pickup truck. The suv rams into the pickup
truck repeatedly before the suv driver lifts a forty caliber
semi automatic handgun and fires into the Chevy. What in
(17:16):
the world is going on? Things like this don't usually
happen in the Morgan Hill area, an extremely affluent residential
community ranked in the top five hundred most expensive areas
to live by Forbes Magazine. It's the seat of several
high tech companies in a dining, entertainment and recreational destination
thanks to as many fancy hotels, wineries, and nature parks,
(17:40):
so dry by shootings are definitely not expected in this
neck of the woods. It wasn't just shocking that this
extreme armed road rage was happening in such a nice area.
It was also unthinkable that a celebrity who actually lived
in the area, just up the road in his fifty
one hundred square foot one point seven million dollar mansion,
(18:00):
was the one behind the wheel of the guns blazing
black suv. Locals recognized him behind the wheel and were
stunned to see their accomplished neighbor, a devoted husband and
father apparently chasing after and firing a gun into a
Chevy Silverado pickup truck containing three terrified people.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
It appeared as though family man kane Velasquez, who had
picked himself up from nothing and empowered Mexicans to believe
in their dreams, was now putting everything he'd built on
the line, everything his parents sacrificed for on the line,
to go after the people in this pickup truck. Why
it was totally out of character. Sure, Kane Velasquez was
(18:41):
a fierce fighter in the cage at work, but he
never brought that side of him home.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
His colleague could be even.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Nevega Metov had described him as an honest and kind
hearted person who would do anything for his family and friends.
So why would Kin aggressively pursue and try to gun
down the family of three in the fleeing chevy, A mother,
a stepfather, and their adult son. Surely this action ran
contrary to everything Cain stood for, protecting the stability, security,
(19:08):
and sanctity of his family above all else. As the
dust settled with a horrifying eleven mile car chase and
alleged shooting coming to an end at three fourteen PM,
kane Velaskaz exited his suv and was taken without a fight.
Into custody by local law enforcement. The Chevy Silverado pickup
truck he had pursued was riddled with bullets, and one
(19:31):
of its passengers was moaning clearly injured. Kine must have
known that his face would be plastered all over the news,
that he would be hauled off to prison, and that
his family would suffer for his actions.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
What possible reason.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Could Kin have for upending his life with what appeared
to be such a brash, attempted murder. He had everything
going for him, a thriving MMA career, financial success, a beautiful,
supportive wife, two healthy, doting children. From the outside looking in,
there seemed no apparent reason for Kane Velaskaz to have
engaged in such an outrageous criminal act. Immediately, people's suspect
(20:08):
of MMA as a sport pointed to CTE, or chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, saying that a brain injury would explain Caine's sudden,
uncharacteristic action. Surely, what had occurred could only be attributed
to CTE symptoms, including behavior problems, mood problems, and problems
with thinking. After all, NFL player Philip Adams had been
(20:29):
suffering from CTE before killing six people.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And then himself.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Cincinnati Bingle's wide receiver Chris Henry was accused of assault
had multiple arrests for illegal substance and gun charges before
dying at age twenty six with an advanced CTE diagnosis.
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jvonne Belcher, also diagnosed with CTE,
shot his girlfriend and then himself at age twenty five,
leaving behind their young daughter. Athletes suffering from chronic traumatic
(20:57):
incephalopathy certainly at a history of violent outbursts outside of
their professional careers. The assumption of CTE fit. But the
more frightening prospect was that Caine was acting rationally in
accordance with society's expectations of him. Definitely not, but rationally
arguably yes. You see, parents are, for the most part,
(21:21):
biologically conditioned to do anything to protect their kids. There
are certainly plenty of instances in which parents buck this
scientific hypothesis and don't adequately protect their children.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
You only have to consider the.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Parents who allegedly abandon their nine year old daughter to
a bison attack at Yellowstone National Park, or abusive mom
slash influencer Ruby Frankie, or even at other species like
the Quaker. One of the smallest wallaby species in Australia
who drop their young for predators in order to ensure
their own escape. To know that there are exceptions to
(21:55):
this rule, but according to science, a majority of us
would stare down any consequence if we felt it was
in our children's best interest.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Specifically, a team.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Of neuroscientists from the Champarli Mass Center for the Unknown
in Lisbon, Portugal, discovered that radical protectiveness in parents' behavior
depends on the action of the so called love hormone
oxytocin on the neurons of the amygdala, a brain structure
known for its crucial role in the processing of emotional reactions.
So if you're a parent and someone hurts your child,
(22:27):
you don't need to be a professional combat fighter suffering
from CTE to want or even try to take that
person down.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
It's instinctual.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
So while the entire car chase and shooting was surreal,
the people who knew Kane velasque as well, even as
they watched him in custody on the news, believed that
if he had in fact been behind the wheel of
the black suv, that he had not acted without purpose,
and that the trigger for the attack had probably been
related to protecting the people he loved most, his children.
(22:56):
After all, Kine was used to being under pressure, to
being his best under pressure. Something momentous and terribly personal
must have set off this alleged violent outburst. As the
news reports came flooding out and the victims' names were released,
Caine's nearest and dearest started to understand the fuller picture.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
You see.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
The pickups passengers' names were Paddy Gulart, Paul Bender, and
Harry Gulart, and the Gallard family had just been in
the news themselves only days before. So who are the Gularts?
Well an upscale San Jose. The name Gulart had been
associated with daycare for decades. Patti Gulart ran a premier
(23:37):
nursery out of her beautiful, almost four thousand square foot
home located less than a mile away from Cain's own mansion.
Many neighborhood big wigs sent their children to Patty's daycare,
and why not. It had a great reputation and seemed
to be equipped with everything kids could want. A big
backyard to play in, plenty of light, clean indoor space,
(23:57):
healthy snacks, and comfortable napping area. Only twelve kids were
supposed to be enrolled at a time, ensuring that they could.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
All be well looked after.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
The kids who went to Patty Gillard's daycare were privileged,
and Kane Velasquez had worked hard his entire life to
make sure that his children would always be among the privileged.
He must have felt so proud, so sure sending Coral
and Kane Velasquez Junior off to Patty's daycare, pleased to
know that his precious children were in an elite, experienced environment.
(24:30):
So imagine the horror he felt at discovering that the
Goallard family had betrayed his trust. Imagine Cain's rage at
finding out that Patty Goillard's forty three year old son, Harry,
who lived in the same house where his adored children
were so many children spent their days, was an alleged
child molester. And imagine Kine's gut wrenching sadness and overwhelming
(24:52):
anger at hearing his four year old son, Kane velaskazh
Junior telling him directly that Harry Gollard had taken him
into a bathroom and molested him. When later interviewed by
the Santa Clara Police, Kane Velasquez Junior said he'd witnessed
Harry Gillard take other children into the bathroom as well.
(25:12):
The daycare, once a symbol of status, safety and care,
was now the epicenter of a tragic scandal. The trust
that parents, including Cain, had placed in the Gallart family
was irreparably broken. Cain's precious sun had been horrifically violated,
and there was no recourse sufficient for that alleged crime. Worse,
(25:34):
once the situation had been reported to the police, Harry
Gollart was released by authorities, even with the charge of
felony child molestation.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
In fact, Harry.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Was released on his own recognizance, which means he didn't
even have to post bail. He just signed a piece
of paper promising to show up for the next court date.
The only condition of Harry's release was that he would
be required to obtain an electronic monitoring bracelet. Up on
the risk treatment by the authorities for such a serious
allegation seems wrong right, and the situation devolved further into
(26:07):
the hands of the Santa Clara officials. Unbelievably, Kane Velaska's family,
already reeling from their young son's allegations, of abuse weren't
notified about Harry Gillard's release. This lack of communication quickly
became a critical point of contention. First of all, the
law requires the prosecutor to inform victim's families when a
(26:29):
defendant involved in their cases being released, so it was
a breach of legal protocol that this did not happen.
But beyond the legal oversight, imagine the distress and fear
that this lack of communication caused the Velasquez family and
all the families who had sent their children to the
Gallart daycare. It must have been a nightmare for the parents,
(26:50):
feeling that justice was slipping away and not even being
kept informed about developments that directly affected their children's safety
and well being. Remember, the Gallart's home and daycare was
only about a mile away from Kane Velasquez home. Was
Harry Gallart, who stood accused of abusing his son going
to be allowed to live down the street. Caine was
(27:10):
understandably apoplectic. Ripples of shock and confusion tore through the community.
No one wanted a child molest to back out in public,
and lack of consideration for the Velasquez family by authorities
had been undeniably appalling. The Santa Clara County Court's decision
to release Harry Gallart without bail and the prosecution's failure
(27:31):
to notify the Velasquez family raised serious questions about the
criminal justice system. How could someone accused of such a
heinous crime walk free without bail and why was the
alleged victim's family left in the dark about Harry's release.
These questions added fuel to an already blazing fire of
public and personal outrage. The release of Harry Gillart was
(27:54):
not just a procedural step in the legal process. It
was a trigger, setting off a chain of events that
would lead to the tragic and allegedly violent confrontation involving
Kane Velasquez and the Gallart family. The outraged father, Kane
Velasquaez waited three days after Harry Gillart was released back
into the public by authorities before acting. When he knew
(28:16):
that Harry Gelart was going to be transported by his
mother Patty and stepfather Paul Bender to get the mandatory
electronic monitor fitted, Caine allegedly chased them in his suv
and tried to gun down the sex offender who had
molested his son Caine missed Harry and allegedly shot Harry's stepfather,
Paul Bender, wounding him in the arm, and Torso with
(28:36):
non life threatening injuries. But the larger question being asked
by the public once all these details came out was
whether Kane Velaskaz had actually been in the wrong after all.
Was vigilante justice ever acceptable? Opinions started pouring in. Paula Canney,
a criminal defense attorney, legal analyst and longtime former deputy
(28:57):
district attorney, said that there was no excuse for Kane's behavior.
I don't want even mixed martial arts fighters who are
champions to go around and fire guns in public places
and to take the law into his own hands. It's horrifying,
it's frightening, she said. There is no defense of vigilante justice,
and that's probably a good thing, otherwise the whole system
(29:18):
would devolve into vigilanteism. There is no defense of I
was so mad I had to do it. But for
every person who agreed with Attorney Paula Canny, there seemed
to be at least one person standing up for Kane Velasquez.
Free Kane became a hashtag in general theme across social
media platforms, as many people argue that Kane Velaska's actions
(29:40):
were justified. Former UFC Welterwaite Ben Asgrin wrote, I don't
want to live in a country where you can't shoot
someone who sexually abused her child. Kyle Krutchmer posted on Twitter,
I don't want to hear anything else about CTE. This dude,
Kane Velasquez protected his family. The authorities released a scumbag.
I've always been taught to protect my family, and that's
(30:01):
at any cost.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Free Kine.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Jamal Hill summed up the MMA community stands declaring free Kine.
You touch my kids, and I'm coming the same way.
Kane Velasquez, who had always been a fighter, had now
crossed the line for what mattered most to him family,
his alleged vigilanteism. It sparked a debate, and a clash
between public opinion and legal authority was brewing. There's still
(30:25):
a whole lot of Kane Velaska's story for me to
swill up and serve people. Take your time to digest
what you've heard, and meet me back here next week
to find out what happens. I'm your host, Jay Harris,
and this is playing dirty, Playing dirty, Sports Scandals is
(30:49):
a production of Dan Patrick Productions, never Ever Productions and
Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson, Nick Panela,
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clay.
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