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

Gov. Mike DeWine calls for Ohio to abolish the death penalty

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Gov. Mike DeWine Tuesday morning called on Ohio to abolish the death penalty, citing data that he said proves it is no longer a deterrent to violent crime. “For the state to take a human life, there must, in my opinion, there must be evidence that in doing so it will help protect the public, that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder,” DeWine said. “I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made.” DeWine cited data showing a decline in the last four decades of executions being carried out and an increase in the time inmates spend on death row.

I watched Ohio's last execution. Here's what it was like

As Gov. DeWine calls for Ohio to end capital punishment, the state’s last execution remains the one I witnessed in 2018 Inside Ohio's death house, there is a room for executions and separate witness rooms: one for those connected to the victim and another for those connected to the inmate. Windows separate the death chamber from those watching, the condemned from the living. I was there on July 18, 2018 – during Ohio’s most recent execution. Robert Van Hook was put to death that day for killing David Self in 1985. He sat on death row for three decades. I was one of three media witnesses to the execution.

Kansas AG urges governor to deny clemency to 8 sentenced to death

TOPEKA — Attorney General Kris Kobach on Tuesday urged the governor to deny clemency to Kansas inmates who have been sentenced to death. Eight of nine people sentenced to death in Kansas formally filed clemency requests in May, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office. Kobach urged Gov. Laura Kelly to reject them.

20 Minutes to Death: Witness to the Last Execution in France

The following document is a firsthand account of the final moments of Hamida Djandoubi, a convicted murderer executed by guillotine at Marseille’s Baumettes Prison on September 10, 1977. The record—dated September 9—was written by Monique Mabelly, a judge appointed by the state to witness the proceedings. Djandoubi’s execution would ultimately be the last carried out in France before capital punishment was abolished in 1981. At the time, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing—who had publicly voiced his "deep aversion to the death penalty" prior to his election—rejected Djandoubi’s appeal for clemency. Choosing to let "justice take its course," the President allowed the execution to proceed, just as he had in two previous cases during his term: Christian Ranucci , executed on July 28, 1976 and Jérôme Carrein , executed on June 23, 1977. Hamida Djandoubi , a Tunisian national, was sentenced to death for killing his former lover, Elisabeth Bousquet. He was execu...

New Mississippi billboard warns criminals: ‘Firing squad is legal’

DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. (WREG) — A billboard standing on Interstate 55 southbound as you cross the Tennessee state line and enter Mississippi from Memphis is sending a grim message to those coming into the state. DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton recently announced the new billboard campaign, which features the sign reading, “WELCOME TO MISSISSIPPI. WHERE THE FIRING SQUAD IS LEGAL. THINK TWICE.” It references Mississippi’s law permitting execution by firing squad under certain circumstances for inmates sentenced to death. Barton says this campaign is aimed at deterring violent crime and sends a direct message to criminals entering Mississippi.

SCOTUS: Alabama can’t execute Jeffery Lee by nitrogen; Thursday execution called off

After a week of legal volleyball, Alabama death row inmate Jeffery Lee’s execution—scheduled for Thursday evening—was called off after federal courts called the state’s nitrogen gas execution method “likely unconstitutional.” The state took the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping Lee could still be put to death tonight. In an order issued at 8:10 p.m., the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that it would not lift a ban on Alabama executing Lee via nitrogen . In a short court order, the justices denied Alabama’s motion to go ahead with the execution. Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch would have granted the appeal and let the execution proceed, according to the order.

With nitrogen gas blocked, Alabama seeks to execute inmate by lethal injection

Jeffery Lee, who successfully challenged his scheduled Thursday execution by nitrogen gas, argued that execution by firing squad would be less painful. The Alabama Attorney General’s Office Friday sought to put an Alabama death row inmate to death by lethal injection a day after the U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed the state’s attempt to execute him by nitrogen gas. In a filing with the Alabama Supreme Court Friday afternoon, the state sought an expedited motion to set a new execution date for Jeffery Lee, 49. The state said that with a permanent injunction in place against nitrogen gas, the method by which the state intended to execute Lee on Thursday, it could execute him by lethal injection or the electric chair.

Alabama | Judge bars nitrogen gas execution, says method is unconstitutionally cruel

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas after declaring it violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Judge Emily Marks issued the ruling hours after an appeals court reversed her initial finding that the method was constitutional. Marks permanently enjoined the state from executing Jeffrey Lee, 49, by nitrogen gas. He was scheduled to be executed Thursday. The decision, for now, blocks the use of the controversial new execution method that the state has championed since 2024, but the issue will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Idaho will soon turn to firing squad executions. Police will pull the triggers

Trained members of Idaho law enforcement with demonstrated firearms proficiency are expected to fill slots for carrying out the death penalty by firing squad as the state prison system transitions to the controversial execution method next month. Six volunteers certified for no less than three years apiece through Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, will be recruited to ensure the Idaho Department of Correction is ready to comply with a state law that prioritizes shooting prisoners to death over lethal injection starting July 1. No one on the team may have faced disciplinary action over firearms, use of force, or related conduct over the prior year, according to new execution protocols the prison system released this week.

Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch wanted an execution that a Trump judge deemed illegal

The Supreme Court these days is generally in the business of helping executions go forward. But on Thursday night, the court did something notable: It told Alabama no. Even then, the court wasn't unanimous. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the refusal to let the nitrogen gas execution of Jeffery Lee proceed. What prompted the rare rejection? In line with the typical shadow docket practice, the court didn't explain itself. Nor did the dissenters, who merely noted their disagreement. But a deeper look at the case helps us understand why a majority of the court was unwilling to help the state this time.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog