Balbir Singh Sodhi

Balbir Singh Sodhi (born 1949 in India , † September 15, 2001 in Mesa , Arizona in the United States ) was an American entrepreneur . The murder of the avowed Sikh , whom his killer, 42-year-old Frank Silva Roque, identified as a Muslim in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 , aroused national and international horror. The act attracted diplomatic attention from the Indian side and prompted nearly 3,000 people to attend his funeral on September 21, 2001. Roque murdered Singh Sodi during a rampage at his gas station in Mesa, Arizona. The broadcaster PBS published in 2006 on the fifth anniversary of fact, the TV documentary A Dream in Doubt over Singh Sodhi and his brother, who also dropped a murder victim in the following spring. A second documentary called Divided We Fall: Americans In The Aftermath was directed by Valarie Kaur, a prominent Sikh and film director.

Roque, who shouted "I am a patriot" and "I always stand up for America" during the trial , was convicted of three murders on September 30, 2003. Eight days later, he was sentenced to death.

In August 2006 the Arizona Supreme Court downgraded the death penalty and changed it to life with no pardon. The reason for this was the very low intelligence of the offender, which was close to the incapacity.

Web links

Anton, Mike: Collateral Damage in War on Terrorism , Los Angeles Times , September 22, 2001
o. V .: Trial begins for man charged with killing Sikh immigrant , in: CNN Online , August 18, 2003 (English)
o. V .: US 9/11 revenge killer convicted in: BBC Online , October 1, 2003 (English)

Individual evidence

↑ “ Nearly 3,000 people gathered Saturday to remember Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Indian immigrant killed in what police say was a hate crime that followed the terrorist attacks. [...] His death touched off protests in India and a call to President Bush by India's prime minister. “, In: Thomsen, Scott: Ariz. Mourns Sikh Killed by Gunman , Associated Press , September 22, 2001. Accessed August 24, 2008.

↑ cf. Program description at PBS . Accessed August 24, 2008.

↑ cf. IMDb . Accessed August 24, 2008.

↑ Chapter 6: Fears and Concerns of Affected, At-Risk Communities

↑ 9/11-tied slayer won't be executed ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Kiefer, Michael and Walsh, Jim

personal data
SURNAME	Singh Sodhi, Balbir
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH	1949
PLACE OF BIRTH	India
DATE OF DEATH	September 15, 2001
Place of death	Mesa , Arizona , United States

[1] “ Nearly 3,000 people gathered Saturday to remember Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Indian immigrant killed in what police say was a hate crime that followed the terrorist attacks. [...] His death touched off protests in India and a call to President Bush by India's prime minister. “, In: Thomsen, Scott: Ariz. Mourns Sikh Killed by Gunman , Associated Press , September 22, 2001. Accessed August 24, 2008.