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A Harris County jury issued a guilty verdict on Monday in the murder trial stemming from the 2019 death of a Harris County sheriff’s deputy, according to Houston-based media outlets.
The jury convicted 50-year-old Robert Solis of fatally shooting Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal during a traffic stop, sending the trial toward the sentencing phase that’s expected to last a week. It took the jury at least 25 minutes to come up with the verdict, Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported.
Per KHOU, Dhaliwal’s loved ones; two of his former superiors, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and his predecessor and current county commissioner Adrian Garcia; and members of the Sikh community were at the courthouse.
The trial began on a stunning note on Oct. 11 when Solis, who previously served a prison term prior to the Sept. 27, 2019 murder, terminated his legal counsel in favor of representing himself.
He professed his innocence before jurors while prosecutors branded him a killer, KHOU reported.
Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that Solis requested the court for capital punishment.
"Since you believe I'm guilty of capital murder, I believe you should give me the death penalty," he said, per the station.
Prosecutor Lauren Bard rebuked Solis’s claims that Dhaliwal’s death was an accident, KTRK reported.
"This is intent, and he comes running up to that man with a gun and he shoves him up against the car," Bard said, the station reported.
Dhaliwal, who was a 41-year-old married father of three, earned the distinction as the first peace officer with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) to be permitted to wear a turban, Houston Daily reported.
The late deputy was a practicing Sikh, and the turban was an integral part of the faith, according to the publication.
KTRK reported that his relatives, who were seen leaving the courtroom when pictures were shown, plan to speak during the current phase of the trial.