Gonzalez: 'We are extremely grateful that justice has been served'

Robert Solis, the man convicted of murdering Harris County sheriff’s deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, received a death sentence on Wednesday, Houston-based media outlets reported.

The penalty came just a week after a jury found the 50-year-old guilty. 

“We are extremely grateful that justice has been served,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. “Sandeep changed our sheriff’s office family for the better, and we continue striving to live up to his example of servant leadership. May he rest in peace.”

Solis, who served as his own attorney after dismissing his legal team before the trial began, fatally shot Dhaliwal during a traffic stop on Sept. 27, 2019.

Solis insisted the shooting was an accident though prosecutors argued that he was intent on killing the 41-year-old peace officer to keep from going back to prison.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the jury took 35 minutes to decide Solis’ punishment.

According to KTRK, the state asserted in closing arguments that Solis’s lengthy criminal history is enough to paint him as someone “who doesn't care who he hurts.”

“Just so long as he gets what he wants," prosecutor Lauren Bard said, the station reported.

The other option for jurors was a life sentence without the possibility of parole, per KTRK.

Dhaliwal was a married father of three and was the first peace officer with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) to be permitted to wear a turban.

A devoted member of Sikhism, he gave up proprietorship in favor of law enforcement over a decade ago after hearing then-sheriff and current Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia speak at the temple, Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported.

Following his death, his legacy was honored in several ways, including, but not limited to a fund set up to assist first responders and his name affixed to a west Houston post office and a segment of Beltway 8.