Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man accused of murdering two Israeli Embassy staffers outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum, according to a Friday filing from the United States Department of Justice.
The decision formally notifies the court that prosecutors intend to pursue capital punishment against Elias Rodriguez if he is convicted in the deadly shooting that shocked both Washington and the international diplomatic community nearly a year ago.
The filing came from the office of interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, after Justice Department officials had previously signaled they were weighing the move. Federal law requires personal approval from the attorney general before prosecutors can seek a death sentence.
“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 Friday.
Rodriguez is accused of gunning down two young Israeli Embassy employees outside the museum: Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26. According to prosecutors, Rodriguez allegedly returned to the museum after the shooting, identified himself as the attacker, and told authorities, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
The killings quickly intensified fears over politically motivated violence tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a war that continues to cast a long and bitter shadow far beyond the battlefield itself.
Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including murder, terrorism, and hate crime offenses.
In Friday’s filing, prosecutors argued that the death penalty is justified because of what they described as substantial planning and a biased motive behind the attack.
According to the Justice Department, Rodriguez specifically targeted individuals he believed had attended an event for young Jewish professionals organized by the American Jewish Committee and hosted at the museum.
Prosecutors wrote that Rodriguez selected the victims in part “to amplify the effect of his crimes.”
The filing also fulfills a procedural requirement requiring prosecutors to notify both the court and the defense ahead of trial that they intend to pursue execution as a possible sentence. The notice now triggers additional legal proceedings to determine whether Rodriguez could ultimately face capital punishment if convicted.
The Hill reported that Rodriguez’s attorneys had not yet commented on the filing.
Federal officials had openly discussed the possibility of seeking the death penalty for months. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi declared in February during remarks at the Israeli-American Council National Summit that prosecutors intended to pursue the harshest punishment available.
“We are prosecuting the monster, and we will seek the death penalty,” Bondi said at the time.
The final decision now rests with Todd Blanche, who has served in an acting capacity since Bondi’s removal last month.
The case also reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to revive federal use of the death penalty after President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized former President Joe Biden for pausing federal executions and commuting most federal death row sentences.
The proceedings are being overseen by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. Moss has scheduled Rodriguez’s next court appearance for June 30.
As the case moves forward, it stands as another grim reminder of how political hatred and foreign conflicts can spill into American streets, leaving devastation far from the wars and causes invoked in their name.
