The US Justice Department will seek the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, accused of killing two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC outside a Jewish museum last year, according to court filings from multiple sources.
Key Takeaways
The US Justice Department will seek the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, accused of killing two Israeli embassy staff members outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC last year. The victims were Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were leaving an event at the museum when they were shot. Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges.
Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26. Prosecutors allege that Rodriguez shouted “Free Palestine” during the shooting and later told police he did it for Palestine and Gaza.
The indictment includes a notice of special findings allowing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty. Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for the District of Columbia, revealed this decision at an unrelated news conference on Friday. The hate crime charges require prosecutors to prove that Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire.
Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, stating that Rodriguez flew from Chicago with a handgun in his checked luggage ahead of the event at the Capital Jewish Museum. Witnesses reported him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots.
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