On December 13, 1990, a violent crime occurred in Portage, Indiana, claiming the life of Harchand Dhaliwal, a 54-year-old male of Southwest Asian descent. Employed as an attendant at a local gas station, Dhaliwal was working his shift when he became the target of a robbery. During the encounter, the assailant wielded a shotgun and fired a fatal blast to the victim's head.
The perpetrator then fled the scene with approximately $327.55 in cash taken from the register, leaving Dhaliwal dead at his workplace.
The investigation into the homicide quickly expanded as law enforcement realized a serial offender was operating in the region. Just two days later, on December 15, a motel clerk named Marie Meitzler was found shot to death in a similar manner in Portage, with money missing from her register. Authorities also connected these incidents to the double homicide of Eli and George Balovski in nearby Lake County shortly thereafter. The spree of violence created a sense of urgency among local police agencies as they sought to identify the individual responsible for the string of shotgun slayings.
On January 28, 1991, authorities arrested Christopher D. Peterson, who would later be known as Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl. Following his apprehension, Peterson provided a confession to police on January 30, admitting his role in the killings, including the murder of Dhaliwal. He was formally charged with multiple counts of murder and felony murder. In March 1992, a jury convicted him for the deaths of Dhaliwal and Meitzler. Following the jury's recommendation, the trial court judge sentenced Peterson to death for his crimes. His convictions and sentence were subsequently upheld on appeal.
