$15 Mil Lawsuit in Honor Killing Case

(Lodi, California) In April 2008, a 56-year-old Sikh man, Gurparkash Khalsa, was indicted for the murder of a 23-year-old Lodi man, Ajmer Singh Hothi, in an alleged honor killing.

Hothi had dated Khalsa's daughter but the family strongly disapproved due to class differences recognized among the Sikhs. Khalsa was the prosperous owner of a trucking firm while Hothi was a lowly trucker.

Khalsa later learned that his daughter had aborted Hothi's child.

The father then demanded the couple marry. But in the meantime Hothi's parents had sent their son to India for an arranged marriage, according to court papers.

Prosecutors accuse Khalsa of tracking down Hothi and ambushing him in the cab of his big rig.

Hothi was shot nine times with a Beretta handgun similar to one Khalsa had registered years before, according to a police report.

San Joaquin County Prosecutors will seek life in prison for Khalsa.

Meanwhile, the family of Ajmer Hothi has filed a $15 million civil lawsuit against Gurparkash Khalsa claiming wrongful death inflicting emotional suffering. The Hothi's family members want compensation for their loss and to send a message that honor killings will empty the perpetrator's wallet.