In May 2025, two employees of the Israeli Embassy in DC, Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were murdered outside an event at the Jewish Museum.
It was a targeted attack by Elias Rodriguez, who shouted “Free, Free Palestine” when arrested. It was a merciless assassination, he videotaped it on his own bodycam, and finished them off execution style, when they were on the ground trying to crawl away. We covered the events at the time:
Per the DOJ press release when First Degree Murder and other charges, which made him death-penalty eligible, were announced in August 2025:
On May 20, 2025, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington D.C. with a Heckler and Koch VP9 SK 9mm semi-automatic handgun packed in his luggage.The same day, he allegedly authored a manifesto that he called “Explication,” in which he argued for the “morality of armed demonstration” and wrote that “[t]hose of us against the genocide take satisfaction in arguing that the perpetrators and abettors have forfeited their humanity.”On May 21, 2025, Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the “Young Diplomats Reception” sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Capital Jewish Museum (CJM) located at 575 3rd Street NW, Washington, D.C.Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim, C.S., and A.T., were employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., who attended the reception at the CJM. Yaron Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen who was in the United States on official business. Sarah Milgrim, C.S., and A.T. were United States citizens.Rodriguez allegedly approached the victims after they walked out of the CJM and fired approximately 20 shots using the 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he had transported from Chicago. After the victims fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, including as one attempted to crawl away. Multiple shots struck Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, killing them. During the shooting, the defendant allegedly called out, “Free Palestine.”Moments after the shooting, Rodriguez entered the CJM, where several event attendees were still present., displayed a red keffiyeh and allegedly said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”
There has not been a lot of reporting on the case since then, but U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently stated that the death penalty would be sought, via The Miami Herald (emphasis added):
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke about their commitments to the Jewish community and their respective parties’ plans to combat antisemitism and strengthen ties with Israel at an Israeli-American summit attended by thousands on Friday afternoon….Bondi began her address by recounting the night two Israeli Embassy staff members were gunned down near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last year. Bondi, who is a former prosecutor and attorney general of Florida, told the audience that her office is seeking the death penalty against the gunman, Elias Rodriguez. “Sarah and Yaron were shot, murdered because they were Jewish,” Bondi said. “It was horrible. Horrible. We will not tolerate that in our country any longer.”
“Sarah and Yaron were shot, murdered because they were Jewish,” Bondi said, referring to Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. “It was horrible, horrible. We will not tolerate that in our country any longer.”Bondi told the audience that federal prosecutors are pursuing capital punishment in the case, saying, “We are prosecuting the monster, and we will seek the death penalty.”
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