Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the suspect charged with killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., last May.
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro filed a notice of intent to seek capital punishment for three out of 13 charges against 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who has been charged with murder and hate crimes, among other counts. The notice launches special procedures to determine whether he can be executed, if convicted.
Leaders of the U.S. Department of Justice had long hinted that they were considering the death penalty for Rodriguez.
“Let me be clear: anyone who commits acts of political violence in the nation’s capital will face the full force of the law,” Pirro said in a statement.
On May 21, 2025, Rodriguez is accused of opening fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum, killing 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky as they left a young professionals event. He then allegedly entered the museum to identify himself as the shooter, and told police officers, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment.
He yelled “Free Palestine!” as he was being arrested.
The suspect pleaded not guilty to 13 counts, including hate crime, murder and terrorism charges. The indictment includes notice of special findings, which allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
Prosecutors described the fatal shooting as calculated and planned, alleging that Rodriguez flew from Chicago to the district ahead of the May 21 event with a handgun in his checked luggage.
DOJ officials said Friday that capital punishment is justified because of the suspect’s “substantial planning and biased motive,” among other factors.
Prosecutors wrote that Rodriguez “targeted individuals whom he perceived to have attended an event for young Jewish professionals, organized by the American Jewish Committee and hosted at the Capital Jewish Museum, to amplify the effect of his crimes.”
Several of the charges against him carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. Four terrorism-related charges were filed against Rodriguez in February — two counts each of first-degree murder and assaults with intent to kill while armed, according to a news release.
“These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror,” Pirro said in the news release.
She called the case “death penalty eligible” at an August press conference, when prosecutors filed federal hate crime charges against Rodriguez. The hate crime charges mean prosecutors must prove that the suspect was motivated by antisemitism when he shot Milgrim and Lischinsky.
In his alleged manifesto, the suspect justified his attack, calling it an “armed action” to protest what he called the genocide being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza.
The notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Rodriguez comes weeks after the DOJ acted to strengthen federal capital punishment.
The decision to seek the death penalty is now up to Todd Blanche, the acting U.S. attorney general who has filled the role after Pam Bondi’s termination. Rodriguez’s next court date is scheduled for June 30.
