Texas: The man convicted for the murder of Sandeep Dhaliwal, a veteran and first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in Texas, was sentenced to death on 27th October 2022, according to police official statement.
Robert Solis, 50, was condemned by a jury in Houston’s Harris County Court for the murder of Dhaliwal during a traffic stop on 27th September 2019 in northwest Houston.
A jury comprised of citizens handed the verdict recommending the death penalty as punishment after deliberating for just 35 minutes. The jury also deliberated for 25 minutes during initial pleas of guilt.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted: “Verdict is in: Jurors sentence Robert Solis to death. We are extremely grateful that justice has been served.”
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement "The defendant executed a uniformed deputy by shooting him in cold blood in broad daylight. That makes him the worst of the worst, which is why we asked jurors to sentence him to death.”
In order to learn more about Solis' 30-year criminal past, the jury heard testimony from at least 65 prosecution witnesses and witnessed multiple perspectives of the shooting incident during the trial. Solis, who represented himself after firing three defence attorneys, testified that the shooting was an accident.
However, prosecutors argued that the shooting was deliberate and intentional, owed to Solis’ fears of going back to jail. During Solis’ closing argument, he used the last chance to address jurors by saying, “The only thing I have to say is that it’s your decision to make. My life is in your hands.”
