The person accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers outdoors a Jewish museum in Washington earlier this 12 months has pleaded not responsible to an array of prison prices.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, faces 9 counts together with homicide of a international official and finishing up a hate crime leading to demise.
Federal prosecutors say he gunned down Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, a younger couple who labored for the embassy, in Could following an occasion on the Capital Jewish Museum.
Rodriguez allegedly then returned to the museum to establish himself because the shooter and was apprehended, saying “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
The couple’s killing roiled the nation’s capital and sparked outrage worldwide, as U.S. and international leaders rebuked the act as a displaying of anti-Semitism.
Rodriguez expressed help for violence towards Israel on-line as early as January 2024, based on his indictment. Prosecutors additionally say he wrote a manifesto explaining that these he deemed “perpetrators and abettors” of Israel’s struggle in Gaza had “forfeited their humanity.”
The assault has been painted as calculated by prosecutors, who allege Rodriguez flew to from Chicago to the D.C. space with a handgun in his checked baggage the day earlier than the Capital Jewish Museum occasion.
The Justice Division might search the demise penalty towards Rodriguez. The indictment towards him features a discover of particular findings outlining aggravating elements that would make him eligible for execution, if convicted.
Prosecutors haven’t stated whether or not they intend to pursue capital punishment. However on his first day again within the White Home, President Trump signed an government order directing the U.S. lawyer common to hunt the demise penalty for “all crimes of severity demanding its use.” Legal professional Common Pam Bondi has stated DOJ will safe the “most severe possible punishment” for Rodriguez.
