Mother Turns In Daughter, 14, to Police in Clerk’s Slaying

OAKLAND —  A distraught mother who turned in her 14-year-old daughter as a suspect in the murder of a convenience store clerk just wanted to “do the right thing,” police said Tuesday.

“She’s a very good lady and she tries to do what’s right,” Sgt. Mike Clark said.

The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was charged with murder and robbery in the stabbing of 43-year-old Satnam Singh Sohit of Emeryville. Sohit was stabbed several times with a kitchen knife early on Dec. 31 at an Arco mini-mart in Oakland.

The mother contacted police Friday after becoming concerned about her daughter’s behavior and learning that the girl had told a friend she was involved in the stabbing, Clark said.

The girl, a ninth-grader, was arrested hours later, hiding in a closet at her home. She had not been considered a suspect before the mother came forward, said Clark, who commended the woman for making a difficult decision.

“This concerned her greatly,” he said. “‘There was a reward for $25,000. When she found out about it, she said give it to the family of the deceased. It wasn’t about the reward. It was just about her wanting to do the right thing.”

The girl occasionally did odd jobs at the mini-mart and Sohit sometimes saw her when he came to work the overnight shift. On the night of the killing, Clark said, the girl had sneaked out of her home and gone to the mini-mart to buy something to eat. He said she always carried a knife for protection.

Sohit was not supposed to let anyone in the office after 10 p.m. but apparently let the girl in because he knew her, police said.

Clark said $300 was taken in the killing but he does not believe robbery was the motive for the slaying. The two may have argued, he said.

Wearing a Juvenile Hall-issued pink sweatshirt with her hair pulled up into two ponytails, the girl appeared at a brief hearing Tuesday afternoon. She did not speak save for a faint “yes” when asked if she understood the proceedings.

The girl was ordered to stay in Juvenile Hall. Her next court date is Jan. 29.