Balbir Singh Sodhi (; July 6, 1949 – September 15, 2001), a Sikh-American entrepreneur and franchisee in Mesa, Arizona, was murdered in a hate crime in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. This was the first of several cases across the United States that were reported to the police as supposed acts of retaliation for the attacks. Balbir Singh Sodhi, who had a beard and wore a turban in accordance with his Sikh faith, was mistakenly profiled as an Arab Muslim and murdered by 42-year-old Frank Silva Roque (July 8, 1959 – May 11, 2022), a Boeing aircraft mechanic at a local repair facility who held a criminal record for an attempted robbery in California. Roque had reportedly told friends that he was "going to go out and shoot some towel-heads" the day of the attacks. Roque was sentenced to death (commuted later to life imprisonment) for first degree murder. He died in prison on May 11, 2022.

Background

Born on July 6, 1949, in Jalandhar, Punjab, Balbir Singh Sodhi was a member of the Sikh religion. He was also a husband, and father to three sons and two daughters. He immigrated to the United States in 1989 and initially resided in Los Angeles, working at a 7-Eleven store, then driving a taxi in San Francisco. He moved with his brother to Arizona, pooling their money and buying a gas station and convenience store in Phoenix, Arizona. Sodhi's gas station had been running for just a year prior to his murder and in that time he had become known amongst the community as a generous and kind man who often gave free candy to children who came in.

On September 11, 2001, members of al-Qaeda, a militant Islamist group, hijacked four airplanes and perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, killing 2,977 victims. According to family members, Sodhi had become distraught by the attacks.

Shooting of Sodhi, others

On September 15, 2001, four days after the attacks, Roque took his Chevrolet S-10 from the Wild Hare sports bar in Mesa, where he had reportedly been ranting about immigrants, and drove to the Chevron gas station owned by Sodhi. Roque shot Sodhi five times from his truck with a .380 handgun, killing him. At the time of the shooting, Sodhi was helping landscaper Luis Ledesma plant flowers around the edge of his gas station in order to commemorate the lives of those lost in the 9/11 attacks. Roque, who apparently wanted revenge for the 9/11 attacks, racially profiled Sodhi as an Arab Muslim because of the clothes he wore, his turban, and his beard.

Roque then drove to his former residence, which had been purchased by a local Afghan family, and fired multiple rounds at the outside of the house. Roque then drove to a Mobil gas station away. Twenty minutes after the first shooting, he shot at a Lebanese-American clerk from his truck, but missed.

Many Sikhs began experiencing acts of discrimination within their friendships and relationships that were formed prior to the terror attacks. His bail was set at $1 million.

Roque's trial by jury began on August 18, 2003. Defense attorneys argued he was not guilty due to insanity, claiming that he had a diminished IQ and heard relentless voices telling him that Arabs were Satanic and must be killed. Two coworkers testified that Roque was "narrow-minded" and that he hated both immigrants and Arabs. Roque's defense attorney characterized him as mentally ill, and noted that his mother had twice been hospitalized for schizophrenia, a condition which has been shown to appear in those genetically predisposed to it. On September 30, 2003, he was found guilty of first degree murder, and was sentenced to death nine days later. The trial was aired by Court TV in a five-part series.

Roque died on May 11, 2022, while in Arizona Department of Corrections custody.

Memorialization of Balbir Singh Sodhi

In the months prior to the 10-year anniversary of Sodhi's death, the Arizona Legislature decided that it wanted to remove Sodhi's name and plaque from the state's 9/11 memorial. This was vetoed by the governor after an outcry of advocacy from community groups in the area.

See also

  • Sikhism in the United States
  • Larme Price, serial killer whose motive was revenge for 9/11
  • Mark Anthony Stroman, spree killer whose motive was revenge for 9/11
  • Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting
  • Anti-Middle Eastern sentiment

References

Further reading

  • Balbir Sodhi memorial page on SikhNet
  • East Valley Tribune, "Sikhs still living in shadow of Sept. 11", Sept. 16, 2005
  • SikhNet, "Two Sodhi Brothers Shot in the backlash of 9/11; Death Penalty overturned"
  • Divided We Fall, a film that features Balbir Sodhi's story
  • Arizona State Inmate file on Roque
  • Arizona Supreme Court decision imposing life sentence on Roque