Texas convicts man for murder of first turbaned Sikh police officer in 2019
A man, who was found guilty of capital murder for gunning down Deputy Sandeep Dahliwal, the first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in the US state of Texas in 2019, has been convicted by a court here.
Robert Solis, 50, was convicted by the jury of the Harris County Criminal Court in Houston for the capital murder of 42-year-old Dahliwal, a 10-year-veteran of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He had drawn widespread notice when he gained permission to wear a turban as part of his uniform in 2015, and was killed in an ambush-style shooting while on duty on September 27, 2019.
With Dahliwal's family in the courtroom on Monday, the jury took less than 30 minutes to announce the verdict.
Solis, who fired his attorneys, had decided to represent himself in court. He started his opening statement in the punishment phase by asking for the death penalty.
"Since you believe I'm guilty of capital murder, I believe you should give me the death penalty," Solis told the jury.
Juror