A jury sentenced Robert Solis to death Wednesday for murdering Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, whom he shot in the back of the head during a 2019 traffic stop.
“The defendant executed a uniformed deputy by shooting him in 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,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Dhaliwal, the first observant Sikh deputy in county history, was working patrol when he pulled Solis over in the 14800 block of Willancy Court on Sept. 27, 2019. Solis had a warrant for his arrest for violating parole at the time of the shooting.
Jurors were also told about the defendant’s long history of violence.
“The trauma that he has inflicted on so many victim’s just didn’t stop. It was heartbreaking to find victim after victim. It was just heartbreaking,” said Assistant District Attorney Katie Warren, who prosecuted the case with ADA Lauren Bard.
Warren noted that Dhaliwal was not just a trailblazer in the law enforcement community, he was an exceptional officer.
“Deputy Dhaliwal was a pillar of this community, and when it came to law enforcement, he set the bar,” Warren said. “His loss is a loss that every single one of us feels. We’re glad today that this jury was able to give justice.”
Testimony for a jury to determine the defendant’s guilt or innocence began Oct. 10, the day he fired his three defense attorneys and elected to represent himself.
A jury convicted Solis of capital murder on Oct. 17.
Following the guilty verdict, a sentencing phase began in which jurors determined whether Solis should get the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole.
Bard noted that peace officers, like Dhaliwal, work every day to help people and enforce the law, which motivated her while trying the case.
“This case was an honor and a privilege,” Bard said. “And knowing how hard law enforcement works every day and everything that we put on their shoulders, it’s hard not to fight and it’s hard not to get emotional.”
The case was investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
HCDAO
