Mother of deputy killer Robert Solis' 3 children tells jurors he's a 'typical psychopath'

Tuesday, October 18, 2022
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The man convicted of murdering beloved Harris County Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal is now on suicide watch, the judge in the trial said.

On Monday, Robert Solis was found guilty of capital murder, and Tuesday, during the punishment phase of the trial, prosecutors brought forward multiple witnesses who testified about a life of crime, starting at age 14. Solis is 50 now.

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Jurors are now charged with deciding if Solis will get the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Solis, who fired his attorneys before the trial started and is representing himself, told at least two witnesses about his situation.

During cross-examination with a Bellaire Police officer, he said "Do you understand that the prosecution is trying to have me killed?"

Multiple witnesses testified about burglaries and thefts Solis had committed as a young person.

A witness testified Solis raped her when he was a teenager.

Solis said in cross-examination, "I would like to concede to the state that that event happened and I would like to apologize to the witness because she doesn't remember me apologizing."

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Then, jurors heard from Melissa Purtee, the mother of Solis' three children.

She testified none of the children want to see Solis again, saying, "This trial has put off an appointment for oncology, just so you know....I couldn't make the appointment because of your three-ring circus."

She described Solis as jealous and dangerous, and told jurors, "His favorite thing to do was smack me in my face."

She later added, "That's a typical psychopath. They know how to get you. They know how to draw you in."

Members of the Dhaliwal family left the courtroom during Tuesday's testimony, due to its graphic and disturbing nature.

READ MORE: Deputy shooting timeline: What we know about what happened
Timeline of fatal deputy shooting


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