DC Jewish museum capturing suspect indicted on federal hate crime expenses | USAEMALL.com

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the Justice Department is considering the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, who was indicted on several counts related to the deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. 

Rodriguez was previously charged with the murder of a foreign official, causing death through the use of a firearm and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Now, he is also being charged with two counts of first-degree murder under D.C.’s criminal code.

30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago was named as a suspect in the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Instagram/@shinewithIsrael)

ANTI-ISRAEL GUNMAN FACES FEDERAL HATE CRIME CHARGES IN DEADLY DC EMBASSY STAFFERS SHOOTING

The DOJ said that multiple charges in the indictment carry the maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. It will be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi to determine if the DOJ will seek the death penalty for Rodriguez.

“This office will leave no stone unturned in its effort to bring justice to the innocent victims of Elias Rodriguez,” Pirro said in a DOJ press release.

During a news conference on Thursday, Pirro said that Rodriguez’s actions against Milgrim were particularly cruel, but declined to give details, noting they would be revealed during the trial. However, she did say that Milgrim was “particularly vulnerable due to infirmity.”

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, pose for a picture at an unknown location, in this handout image released by Embassy of Israel to the U.S. on May 22, 2025.  (Embassy of Israel to the USA via X/Handout via REUTERS)

SUSPECT IN MURDER OF ISRAELI EMBASSY COUPLE LINKED TO ORGANIZATION THAT CALLED OCT. 7 ATTACK ‘LEGITIMATE’

“The decision of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute the assassin of two embassy diplomats to the fullest extent of the law is a testament to the seriousness with which the administration relates to the upturn in anti-Israel hate speech and violence against Jews and Christian Zionists,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in D.C. told Fox News Digital.

Court documents indicate that Milgrim was seen on video trying to crawl away from Rodriguez after being shot “several” times, at which point the suspect “followed behind her and fired again.” Then, Rodriguez appeared to reload his firearm as Milgrim sat up, at which point the suspect allegedly fired at her several times, documents say.

Pirro said there were two other victims, identifying them as C.S. and A.T.

A bystander prays while wearing an Israel flag with a cross in the middle, near the Capital Jewish Museum near the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2025. (Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On May 22, Rodriguez allegedly fatally shot Milgrim and Lischinsky, two Israeli Embassy staffers who were attending an event at the Capital Jewish Museum that was hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Milgrim and Lischinsky were outside the venue when the shots were fired. The DOJ did not give details on how Rodriguez allegedly victimized C.S. and A.T.

After the fatal shots were fired, Rodriguez allegedly went into the museum, pulled out a red keffiyeh — a Palestinian scarf — and said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”