Israeli embassy gunman Elias Rodriguez faces death penalty after ‘firing 21 shots & reloading as victims crawled away’

Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26

THE man suspected of shooting dead two Israeli embassy officials in Washington fired 21 shots and reloaded as his wounded victims crawled away, according to court documents.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, appeared in court yesterday charged with murder - and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The Chicago native was caught on camera unloading several rounds into Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, after pacing outside the Capital Jewish Museum, according to the arrest affidavit.

The pair collapsed after being shot but the gunman continued his onslaught, the document says.

Footage shows him looming over the couple, already ragged by bullets, and firing at them again, charging documents show.

Rodriguez allegedly then pursued Milgrim as she tried to escape and finished her off.

Rodriguez unloaded at least 21 shots during the cold-blooded slaughter, according to police sources, using a high-end German-design H&K 9mm pistol, reports the Post.

It's unclear how many times each victim was shot.

Footage shows Rodriguez shouting "free Palestine" as he is hauled out of the Capital Jewish Museum in handcuffs.

He had been ushered inside alongside civilians in the confusion following the shooting.

A "death penalty eligible case"

The suspect appeared in federal court in Washington on Thursday facing charges of murder of foreign officials - while prosecutors say additional charges are likely.

He was not handcuffed and nodded along while the judge read him the charges, the MailOnline has reported.

Interim US Attorney for the District of Washington Jeanine Pirro, who is leading the prosecution, has said it is "far too early" to say if the death penalty will be sought.

However, she added that this is a "death penalty eligible case".

Heartbreaking details about the victims have emerged in the wake of the tragedy.

The pair were reportedly madly in love, and Lischinsky had secretly bought an engagement ring just days earlier.

He had planned to propose on a vacation to Jerusalem, where they planned to travel on Sunday to see Lischinsky's family who live there.

She never found out that her boyfriend of a year and a half was planning to propose.

Milgrim and Lischinsky, who were both Jewish, were working for the Israeli Embassy when they were killed.

He helped plan missions for Jewish people in America, and Lischinsky was a research assistant.

Milgrim's heartbroken parents have opened up about their love for Lischinsky as they described him as an "incredible" man who was devoted to their daughter.

"He was very much like Sarah: passionate, extremely intelligent, dedicated to what he does, always on the cause of what’s right," her dad Robert told the New York Times.

Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy, mourned the loss of the couple and described seeing their affection for one another just hours before their deaths.

"Yaron and Sarah, words cannot begin to describe the heartbreak and sorrow," she wrote on X.

"Just this morning, we were still laughing together by the coffee corner - and now, all that remains is a picture.

"Instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves. What an unbearable loss."

In a statement released by the Embassy, the two were described as being in the "prime of their lives."

"The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder," the statement said.

"No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time."

Who is Elias Rodriguez?

Elias Rodriguez is the man accused of killing the two Israeli embassy staff in Washington outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

He is understood to have been a far-left activist who was fairly well-known in Washington's protest scene. Resurfaced images appear to show Rodriguez at pro-Gaza demonstrations in the past.

Social media posts also claim he is affiliated with the Party for Socialism & Liberation in the US which is seen as far-left.

The group confirmed in a post on X that Rodriguez had a "brief association" with them.

The group added that Rodriguez was not a member and that his activism with them ended in 2017.

A spokesperson said: “We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”

Source: thesun.co.uk, Patrick Harrington, May 23, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

Comments

William Thompson Faces Execution in Florida Amid Dementia, Terminal Illness Concerns

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an execution warrant for 74-year-old prisoner William “Bill” Thompson less than 24 hours after he was released from the hospital to the hospice wing of the prison. After his attorneys raised serious concerns about his mental competency and deteriorating physical health, Gov. DeSantis agreed to temporarily stay the execution so Mr. Thompson’s competency can be evaluated on October 1. If he is found competent, his execution remains scheduled for October 13.

Tennessee Supreme Court denies stay for death row inmate Christa Pike

(TNND) — As Tennessee prepares for a Sept. 30 execution, the Tennessee Supreme Court has denied death row inmate Christa Gail Pike’s request to stop it. The court rejected Pike’s challenge to the state’s lethal-injection protocol, finding that her thrombocytosis diagnosis, a condition involving elevated blood platelets, did not show the execution would violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Texas executes Ker’Sean Ramey

Texas executes man for a triple killing, days after other man convicted in case was put to death A man was executed Wednesday evening in Texas for a triple killing committed during an attempted robbery at a rural home, 1 week after the other man convicted in the case was put to death. Ker’Sean Ramey, 41, was pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m. CDT following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was the 6th person executed this year in Texas, with 3 more lethal injections scheduled in the state over the next 2 months.

Florida | He executed death row prisoners. Then they came back to haunt him

Dunnellon, Florida—Every night, one of the men Ron McAndrew killed would sit at the foot of his bed and stare, blankly, into his tortured soul. He knew they were coming. He’d shift over in his sheets to make room. “They never said anything,” McAndrew recalls, his aged voice straining from the weight of the memory. “They just sat there and looked at me.” But their eyes would talk. They would ask, "How could you do such a thing?’” says McAndrew. “You always claimed to be a good person. And now you’re killing people.”

Philippines | President Marcos Grants Absolute Pardon to Mary Jane Veloso

President Marcos Confirms Decision to Grant Absolute Pardon to Mary Jane Veloso President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed an absolute pardon for Mary Jane Veloso after more than a decade. On Friday (September 25, 2026), the President confirmed the decision during a visit to Guiuan, Eastern Samar. According to him, the pardon was officially signed the previous day, marking a major development in the case.

DNA evidence doesn’t match man who spent decades on death row, Utah prosecutors say

Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, was sentenced to death in 1985 after a jury found him guilty of murdering Eva Olesen Prosecutors are dropping their plan to seek the death penalty in an upcoming retrial of a Utah man who spent decades on death row for a 1985 killing in which newly analyzed DNA evidence did not match him. Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, was sentenced to death in 1985 after a jury found him guilty of murdering Eva Olesen, the aunt of a former Provo police chief. The state Supreme Court last year ordered a new trial, citing misconduct by investigators. Carter remains in custody and maintains his innocence.

Florida | Tomasz Kosowski found guilty of murder after representing himself in death penalty case

Tomasz Kosowski sat each day alone at the defense table, wearing orange jail garb and rubber sandals with socks. In a rare and largely unprecedented move for a death penalty case, Kosowski represented himself, waiving his right to a jury trial and allowing a judge in Pinellas County, Florida, to decide his fate. Prosecutors presented the state’s case over six days, laying out for the judge how the former plastic surgeon accosted Steven Cozzi in the bathroom of his law office on a Tuesday morning, and Cozzi was never seen again.

Singapore | Ministry of Home Affairs refutes claims that death penalty was discussed during visit by Israel's security ministry

The Ministry of Home Affairs says discussions with the Israeli government involved the sharing of best practices in emergency response, crime prevention, and forensics. Issues relating to the death penalty “were never part of the meeting and were not discussed." SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (Sep 11) refuted claims by an Israeli media outlet that the death penalty was discussed during a visit by an Israeli delegation in May. The Haaretz newspaper reported on Sep 7 that a delegation comprising representatives from the Israel Prison Service and National Security Ministry made a “secret visit” to Singapore that month.

Tennessee | Governor permits Christa Pike execution: 'I am upholding the sentence'

Gov. Bill Lee does not plan to stop Christa Pike's execution. Pike, 50, is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection 10 a.m. Sept. 30 at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. “After deliberate consideration of Christa Gail Pike’s request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene," Lee said in a statement released Sept. 28. Pike's attorneys lamented the news.

Tennessee | Christa Pike Requests Clemency Ahead of September 30 Execution Date; Experts’ Amicus Brief Points to ‘Substantial Risk’ of Re-traumatization

Lawyers for Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee’s death row, filed a 226-page clemency petition with Governor Bill Lee, asking him to commute her death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole ahead of her September 30 execution date. Ms. Pike’s clemency petition outlines the case her team has built over decades of appeals: her actions at 18 years old cannot be separated from a childhood marked by repeated rape, sexual abuse, and neglect that went unaddressed by the adults and state systems meant to protect her. Once incarcerated, Ms. Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog