Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi

2025-09-11T06:12:03Z

75.230.106.249: Timeline: Roque went to his old home first, shot at the Sahaks, then to the Mobil gas station. Source: State v. Roque, Arizona Supreme Court

{{Short description|Hate crime after the September 11 attacks}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Balbir Singh Sodhi
| native_name = ਬਲਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੋਢੀ
| image = Balbir Singh Sodhi.jpeg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|7|6}}
| birth_place = [[Jalandhar]], [[Punjab, India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2001|9|15|1949|7|6}}
| death_place = [[Mesa, Arizona]], U.S.
| occupation = Entrepreneur, franchisee, computer engineer/analyst (formerly)
}}
'''Balbir Singh Sodhi''' ({{Langx|pa|ਬਲਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੋਢੀ}}; July 6, 1949 – September 15, 2001),<ref name="splc">{{cite web | title = Remembering Victims of Hate Crimes | publisher = Southern Poverty Law Center | access-date = 2013-07-05 | url = http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2002/spring/the-forgotten?page=0,6 }}</ref> a [[Sikhism in the United States|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),<ref name="inmateprofile">{{cite web|url=http://www.azcorrections.gov/DeathRow/ProfilesBase.asp?inmate=RoqueF|title=Death Row Inmate Profiles|website=azcorrections.gov|access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113120901/http://www.azcorrections.gov/DeathRow/ProfilesBase.asp?inmate=RoqueF|archive-date=January 13, 2009}}</ref> a [[Boeing]] aircraft mechanic at a local repair facility who held a criminal record for an [[robbery|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.<ref>{{cite news|first=Valarie|last=Karr|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-09-23/his-brother-was-murdered-wearing-turban-after-911-last-week-he-spoke-killer|title=His brother was murdered for wearing a turban after 9/11. 15 years later, he spoke to the killer|work=pri.org|date=September 23, 2016|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> Roque was sentenced to death ([[clemency|commuted]] later to [[life imprisonment]]) for [[first degree murder]]. He died in prison on May 11, 2022.<ref name="death">{{cite news|first=Rana|last=Singh-Sodi|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/06/07/why-mourn-frank-roque-killed-brother-balbir-singh-sodhi/7504925001/|title=The man who murdered my brother post-9/11 just died. This is why I mourn him|work=[[The Arizona Republic]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=June 7, 2022|access-date=June 8, 2022}}</ref>

==Background==
Born on July 6, 1949, in [[Jalandhar]], [[Punjab, India]], Balbir Singh Sodhi was a member of the [[Sikh]] religion. He was also a husband, and father to three sons and two daughters.<ref name="obituary">{{cite news|title=Balbir Singh Sodhi|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122070157/balbir-singh-sodhi-obituary/|newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]]|date=September 22, 2001|page=6|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=April 1, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Three killed as racist attacks increase in US |url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2001/09/musl-s21.html |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=World Socialist Web Site |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="NYT09-17-20012">{{cite news |last=Lewin |first=Tamar |date=September 17, 2001 |title=Sikh Owner Of Gas Station Is Fatally Shot In Rampage |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/17/us/sikh-owner-of-gas-station-is-fatally-shot-in-rampage.html?}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-14 |title='This is my country': how the family of Balbir Singh Sodhi resolved to carry on his American dream |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/14/balbir-singh-sodhi-murdered-family-american-dream |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

On September 11, 2001, members of [[al-Qaeda]], a militant [[Islamist]] group, hijacked four airplanes and perpetrated [[September 11 attacks|the 9/11 attacks]], killing 2,977 victims. According to family members, Sodhi had become distraught by the attacks.<ref>{{cite news|first=Naomi|last=Gingold|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-09-20/brother-one-first-hate-crime-victims-post-911-keeps-teaching-tolerance|title=The brother of one of the first hate-crime victims post 9/11 keeps on teaching tolerance|work=pri.org|date=September 20, 2016|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref>

==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, Arizona|Mesa]], where he had reportedly been ranting about immigrants, and drove to the [[Chevron Corporation|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Sikh man's murder at a gas station revealed another tragedy of 9/11 |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/09/us/balbir-singh-sodhi-9-11-cec/ |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=www.cnn.com}}</ref> Roque, who apparently wanted revenge for the 9/11 attacks, racially profiled Sodhi as an [[Arab Muslims|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|Mobil gas station]] {{convert|10|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on|sp=us}} away. Twenty minutes after the first shooting, he shot at a [[Lebanese Americans|Lebanese-American]] clerk from his truck, but missed.<ref name="NYT09-17-20012"/> After fleeing the scene of the final shooting, Roque was reported to have gone to a local bar and boasted, "They're investigating the murder of a turban-head down the street."<ref>{{Cite news |first=Sunny | last=Hundal| title = Wisconsin temple shooting: Sikhs have been silent scapegoats since 9/11 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/06/wisconsin-temple-shooting-sikh-scapegoats | work = [[The Guardian]] |location=London, England|date = August 6, 2012|access-date = August 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="splc"/>

=== Attitudes towards the Sikh community post-9/11 ===
Sodhi's murder was preceded by multiple hostile incidences in the Phoenix area, targeted at Sikhs in the days following the 9/11 attacks. A Sikh spokesperson stated that it was difficult for Sikhs in the community to go to work at gas stations or to work as cashiers because of the rise in overt harassment towards them.<ref name=":03"/> This spokesperson also described how the appearance of Sikh men make them easy targets due to their beards and [[Dastar|turbans]] which make Sikh men "look more like [[Osama bin Laden|bin Laden]] than [[Muslims]] do".<ref name=":03" />

After the 9/11 attacks, there was a lot of eagerness to retaliate against those who perpetrated the terror attacks, and members of the Sikh community, mainly men, became the targets of these retaliations. Sikhs became the victims of a multitude of [[hate crime]]s such as murder, [[Layoff|redundancy]], threats, and the burning of their places of worship ([[Gurdwara|Gurudwaras]]).<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Arora |first=Kiran S.K. |date=2013-04-01 |title=Reflections on the Experiences of Turbaned Sikh Men in the Aftermath of 9/11 |url=https://openjournals.bsu.edu/jsacp/article/view/159 |journal=Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=116–121 |doi=10.33043/JSACP.5.1.116-121 |issn=2159-8142|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Many Sikhs began experiencing acts of discrimination within their friendships and relationships that were formed prior to the terror attacks.<ref name=":12" /> Their relationships became strained due to suspicion, with Sikh men being asked to cut their hair and to stop wearing their turbans in order to mitigate further suspicion.

==Arrest, trial, and conviction of shooter==
Police arrested Roque the next day, initially unaware of the later shooting incidents. He reportedly shouted slogans including "I am a patriot!" and "I stand for America all the way!" during his arrest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/sac/dc0603/ch6.htm|title=Chapter 6: Fears and Concerns of Affected, At-Risk Communities|website=Usccr.gov|access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref> His [[bail]] was set at $1 million.

Roque's [[trial by jury]] began on August 18, 2003. Defense attorneys argued he was not guilty [[plea of insanity|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.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|first=Julian|last=Borger|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/11/usa.julianborger|title=September 11 revenge killer to die for shooting Sikh|work=[[The Guardian]]|location=London, England|date=10 October 2003|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> On September 30, 2003, he was found guilty of [[first degree murder]], and was [[capital punishment|sentenced to death]] nine days later.<ref name="Guardian"/>

On July 19, 2005, Roque was found guilty of an unspecified conspiracy charge while in prison, specified only as a violent crime. On February 27, 2006, he was found guilty of having manufactured a primitive weapon in prison three days earlier. In August 2006, the Arizona Supreme Court changed Roque's death sentence to a sentence of life in prison without parole, citing his low IQ and [[mental illness]] as [[mitigating factor]]s.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Michael|last1=Kiefer|first2=Jim|last2=Walsh|title=9/11-tied slayer won't be executed|url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0815roque0815.html |work=[[Arizona Republic]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=August 15, 2006|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720154640/http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0815roque0815.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |access-date=December 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://korematsu.blogspot.com/2006/08/arizona-supreme-court-overturns-death.html |title=DNSI Blog: Arizona Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence for Frank Roque - Killer of Balbir Singh Sodhi |publisher=Korematsu.blogspot.com |date=August 15, 2006 |access-date=July 29, 2010}}</ref> The trial was aired by [[Court TV]] in a five-part series.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Walsh|url=http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/2003/09/03/149112-killer-of-sikh-after-9-11-called-ill/|title=Killer of Sikh after 9-11 called ill|work=[[Tucson Citizen]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|location=Tucson, Arizona|date=September 3, 2003|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref>

Roque died on May 11, 2022, while in [[Arizona Department of Corrections]] custody.<ref name="death" /> He was 62 years old.<ref name="inmateprofile" />

==Sukhpal Singh Sodhi==
On August 4, 2002, less than a year after Balbir's death, his younger brother Sukhpal was shot to death while driving his taxicab in [[San Francisco]], apparently killed by a stray bullet from a nearby [[gang]] fight. In response to this second tragedy, Balbir's son said, "What are you going to do with anger? We like peace and we are peaceful people."<ref name="SMART">{{cite web|first1=Judi|last1=Villa|first2=Adam|last2=Klawonn|url=http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/newsite/news/newsdetail.asp?newsid%3D50 |title=Brother of slain Valley Sikh killed in San Francisco|work=[[The Arizona Republic]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=August 6, 2002|access-date=June 8, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030122220844/http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/newsite/news/newsdetail.asp?newsid=50 |archive-date=January 22, 2003 }}</ref>

== 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dutt-Ballerstadt |first=Reshmi |date=2021-10-02 |title=The Terror of the Turban: Civilians, Suspects and Twenty Years Post 9/11 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02759527.2021.1899509 |journal=South Asian Review |language=en |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=403–407 |doi=10.1080/02759527.2021.1899509 |s2cid=236761685 |issn=0275-9527|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==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==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.sikhnet.com/s/BalbirSodhi Balbir Sodhi memorial page on SikhNet]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060212154732/http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=48149 ''East Valley Tribune'', "Sikhs still living in shadow of Sept. 11", Sept. 16, 2005]
*[http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/NewsArchive/346896D867EB03EB872571D100683355 ''SikhNet'', "Two Sodhi Brothers Shot in the backlash of 9/11; Death Penalty overturned"]
*[http://www.dwf-film.com Divided We Fall, a film that features Balbir Sodhi's story]

==External links==
*[https://archive.today/20121213000224/http://www.azcorrections.gov/inmate_datasearch/results_Minh.aspx?InmateNumber=180333&LastName=ROQUE&FNMI=F&SearchType=SearchInet Arizona State Inmate file on Roque]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716223932/http://www.supreme.state.az.us/opin/pdf2006/CR030355AP.pdf Arizona Supreme Court decision imposing life sentence on Roque]

{{September 11 attacks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sodhi, Balbir Singh}}
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2001]]
[[Category:Anti-Arabism in the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-Muslim violence in the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-Indian sentiment in the United States]]
[[Category:Indian people murdered abroad]]
[[Category:Asian-American-related controversies]]
[[Category:Islam-related controversies in North America]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against Asian Americans]]
[[Category:Murder in Arizona]]
[[Category:Spree shootings in the United States]]
[[Category:2001 in Arizona]]
[[Category:History of racism in Arizona]]
[[Category:Religion and violence]]
[[Category:Islamophobia in the United States]]
[[Category:2001 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:September 2001 crimes in the United States]]
[[Category:Crimes related to the September 11 attacks]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in Arizona]]
[[Category:Indian-American history]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Arizona]]
[[Category:Victims of religiously motivated violence in the United States]]
[[Category:Sikhism-related controversies]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American people of Punjabi descent]]

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Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi