Man Accused of Killing Israeli Embassy Staffers Indicted on Federal Hate Crime Charges

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the charges against Elias Rodriguez could carry the death penalty.

A photograph of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky is displayed outside the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington on May 29, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Federal hate crime charges were brought Wednesday against Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli staffers outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington in May.

According to the court documents unsealed on Wednesday, Rodriguez, 31, is accused of carrying out a hate crime resulting in death motivated by the “actual and perceived national origin of any person,” when he allegedly shot Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, on May 21.