Washington DC Suspect Indicted on Hate Crime Murder Charges

Elias Rodriguez has been indicted on federal hate crime and first-degree murder charges for fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. in May. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez planned the attack, traveling from Chicago with a handgun and purchasing a ticket to the museum event shortly before the shooting. Surveillance footage showed him shooting the victims multiple times, including after they had fallen, and witnesses reported him shouting "Free Palestine." The indictment includes special findings that could allow the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty, which would be the first in Washington, D.C. in decades if applied. Prosecutors must prove Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism rather than general anti-Israel sentiment, supported by his violent social media posts expressing hatred toward Israelis. Rodriguez has admitted to the killings, stating to police that he did it "for Palestine" and "for Gaza," and has been held in federal custody awaiting trial.