Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has announced formal charges against Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of killing two staffers from the Israeli Embassy. Speaking at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Pirro detailed the charges filed on Wednesday, stemming from the fatal shooting of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in May.
Rodriguez, 31, is now facing nine federal charges: one count of first-degree murder of a foreign official, two counts of hate crimes resulting in death, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime causing death, two counts of first-degree murder while armed, and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Pirro stated that the Justice Department is considering the death penalty but emphasized that “no decision yet” has been made on whether to pursue it, pending further review of the case’s special findings.
Among those findings is a note on the vulnerability of victim Sarah Milgrim, who was described as particularly defenseless due to a physical infirmity. Pirro said she personally spoke with the victims’ parents before addressing the media.
“These are people who are broken because of one man’s actions,” she said. “These are people who should have been in-laws, but because of one man’s action, they will never be able to celebrate a marriage that was intended, or the grandchildren that would have resulted.”
She added that the victims’ families will have “an opportunity and a right to put their input into what decision is ultimately made” concerning sentencing.
“I want to make something perfectly clear. Violence against anyone in this district will not be tolerated. Especially violence which has hate at its core and is the genesis of violence,” Pirro declared. “The president put me here to do a job, to clean up the district, to make sure that crime doesn’t overshadow this phenomenal city, our nation’s capital.”
The shooting took place on May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where Milgrim and Lischinsky were attending an event. The two were in a romantic relationship and planning to marry. According to officials, Lischinsky had recently purchased an engagement ring and intended to propose during an upcoming trip to Israel.
“It was the cutest love story,” an official said, “like a poster for a Netflix rom-com.”
Authorities say Rodriguez shouted “Free Palestine!” during the attack, and then moved closer to the couple to fire additional rounds, ensuring they were dead. A total of 21 rounds were fired from a 9mm handgun, which was later found nearby. Investigators traced the weapon to an illegal purchase made by Rodriguez in March 2020 in Illinois.
When police arrived, Rodriguez reportedly told them, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,” before being taken into custody.
Rodriguez has been linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a far-left group known for its anti-Israel rhetoric. While the group acknowledged his past affiliation, it claimed Rodriguez had not been involved with them for over seven years.
The Justice Department is preparing to pursue federal hate crime charges, with the option of seeking the death penalty. Prosecutors will need to prove the attack was driven by antisemitism and that the crimes were motivated by bias related to the victims’ race, religion, or ethnicity, consistent with FBI standards for hate crimes.
