Sandeep Dhaliwal's case: Texas convicts man for murder of first turbaned Sikh police officer in 2019
Houston, October 18: Robert Solis (50), who was found guilty of capital murder of Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, the first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in the US state of Texas in 2019, has been convicted by a local court.
The jury, in Harris County Criminal Court in Houston, deliberated less than 30 minutes before finding Robert Solis guilty in fatal shooting of Sandeep Dhaliwal on September 27, 2019.
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Dhaliwal came to limelight when he sought permission to wear a turban as part of his uniform in 2015. However, he was killed in an ambush-style shooting while on duty on September 27, 2019.
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Late Sandeep Dhaliwal, first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer[/caption]
"Since you believe I'm guilty of capital murder, I believe you should give me the death penalty," Robert Solis told the jury.
“A swift verdict does not tell anyone in this courtroom what they already know…Find him guilty of capital murder,” the prosecutor said in his closing arguments in trial of Robert Solis accused of killing.
The verdict came after over three years after Solis was arrested and charged with capital murder, accused of shooting Dhaliwal to death during a routine traffic stop. As Judge Chris Morton read the verdict, Solis nodded his head slightly and showed no emotion.
During his testimony and closing argument of the guilt phase, Solis claimed "the shooting was an accident, calling the state's case against him insufficient".
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Robert Solis, who was found guilty of capital murder of Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal,[/caption]
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"I stand before you an innocent man until you all go back there and deliberate and determine whether or not the state has met its burden and whether I intentionally and knowingly, a conscious objective, shot this deputy," Solis told the jurors.
-Source: Agencies and social media
