Texas man who killed cop in execution-style shooting sentenced to death

After the jury found Solis guilty, local NBC news reports that he said "Since you believe I’m guilty of capital murder, I believe you should give me the death penalty." The jury then deliberated 35 minutes before granting his request.

On September 27, 50-year-old Solis was stopped by Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, 42. The stop took place roughly 18 miles northwest of Houston in a local neighborhood's cul-de-sac.

Solis gunned Dhaliwal down as the deputy returned to his car, shooting him in the back.

According to NBC News, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said, "The defendant executed a uniformed deputy by shooting him 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."

Before the trial, Solis fired his lawyers, represented himself, and said to the jury in his opening statement, "I stand before you an innocent man until you all go back there and deliberate and determine whether or not the state has met its burden and whether I intentionally and knowingly, a conscious objective, shot this deputy."

The prosecution relied on the body cam footage from Deputy Dhaliwal. The video revealed that as Dhaliwal was walking away, Solis ran up to him and yelled for him to put his hands up. He then shot Dhaliwal in the head execution style.

After the video played, Solis asked to be acquitted via a summary judgment from the judge, which was not granted. He then asked the judge to recuse himself, which was also denied.

Solis said of the incident, "It happened. I can’t change it. Was that my intent? My objective? Absolutely not."