A man was sentenced to death for killing an Indian immigrant Balbir Singh Sodhi during a shooting rampage four days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
MESA, Ariz. - Oct 9, 2003
Prosecutors said Roque targeted Sodhi because he thought Sodhi was an Arab. Sodhi wore a turban and beard as part of his Sikh faith. "This jury came with a verdict of the truth," said Sodhi's brother, Lakhwinder Singh Sodhi. "We showed a whole world this is the country of justice." The victim's son, Sukhwinder Singh Sodhi, said the verdict brought some closure. "He's in my heart; he's still with me," he said. Sodhi's death on Sept. 15, 2001, touched off protests in India and prompted India's prime minister to call President Bush. About 3,000 people attended a memorial after the slaying. Defense attorneys had argued that Roque, 44, suffered from a mental illness and that the terrorist attacks triggered an episode of insanity. Prosecutors argued that Roque had been motivated by anger and racial hatred. "I'm pleased to see they [jurors] were able to see through the guise of mental illness," said prosecutor Vince Imbordino. Roque was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder, drive-by shooting and endangerment for the shootings that followed Sodhi's murder. He will be sentenced Tuesday for those convictions. Roque shot at another gas station where the clerk was a man of Lebanese descent, and at the home of an Afghan family. They were not injured. PICTURES
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