Crime & Safety
Chicago Man Facing Death In Fatal Shootings Of Israeli Embassy Staff Members
Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, who is accused of gunning down the staffers in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Justice plans to seek the death penalty for the Chicago man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staff members outside of a Washington, D.C. museum last year, according to a new court filing.
In February, federal prosecutors charged Elias Rodriguez with four counts of acts of terrorism while armed and a separate charge for premeditation to commit acts of terrorism in connection with the May 2025 deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The charges against Rodriguez also include a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment against him includes notice of special findings, which allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.
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The hate crimes charges mean prosecutors will have to prove that Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charges in March.
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- RELATED: Man Accused Of Killing Israeli Embassy Staff Members Pleads Not Guilty To Terrorism Charges
“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district — D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable, and you will face the full wrath of the law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at an unrelated news conference Friday in which she revealed the Justice Department’s death penalty decision.
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Lischinsky and Milgrim as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the venue after the shooting and was detained by event security.
When he was taken into custody, Rodriguez began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. Rodriguez told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," and that he was the one who “did it,” according to initial charging documents.
The initial indictment against Rodriguez revealed details about his actions leading up to the shootings.
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., two days before the shooting with a semi-automatic handgun packed in his luggage.
The same day, prosecutors said he authored a manifesto that he called “Explication,” in which he argued for the “morality of armed demonstration” and wrote that “[t]hose of us against the genocide take satisfaction in arguing that the perpetrators and abettors have forfeited their humanity.”
On May 21, prosecutors said Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the Young Diplomats Reception sponsored by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum, the same event attended by Lischinsky and Milgrim.
According to court documents, Rodriguez approached Lischinsky, Milgrim and two others after they walked out of the event and fired approximately 20 shots using the gun that he had brought from Chicago.
After the victims fell, prosecutors said he continued firing at close range, even as Milgrim attempted to crawl away.
Police removed Rodriguez from the event and, as he was taken away, prosecutors said Rodriguez yelled at attendees who had remained inside, “Shame on you” and “Shame on Zio-nazi terror.”
Investigators recovered the gun and 20 spent shell casings at the scene.
Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, worked as a research assistant at the Israeli Embassy, where he was responsible for several tasks, including keeping its political department up to date on “important events and trends happening in the Middle East & North Africa,” according to his LinkedIn profile.
Milgrim worked at the Israeli Embassy’s public diplomacy department and organized visits and missions to Israel. She was an American citizen, according to Mike Herzog, Israel's former ambassador to the U.S.
Lischinsky and Milgrim were dating each other before their deaths.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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