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Justice Department Seeks Hate Crime Indictment With Death Penalty in D.C. Shooting

A grand jury will convene this week to consider special findings that could enable capital punishment if prosecutors meet the high threshold of proving antisemitic intent.

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FILE - Flowers and mementos are left by visitors outside the Capital Jewish Museum after two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed following an event at the museum, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
People attend a candlelight vigil at Lafayette Square across from the White House in Washington, DC on May 22 outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.
A photograph of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky is displayed outside the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2025.

Overview

  • The indictment would layer federal hate crime counts onto Rodriguez’s existing charges of first-degree murder, killing foreign officials and firearms offenses.
  • Prosecutors cite his on-scene cries of “Free, free Palestine” and post-arrest admission that “I did it for Gaza” as key evidence of religious bias.
  • Federal law demands proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the attack targeted victims for their Jewish identity rather than political views on Israel.
  • Rodriguez remains in federal custody without a formal plea and is scheduled for a status hearing on Friday.
  • If approved, seeking execution would become the first federal death penalty case in D.C. in years and underscore the Justice Department’s capital punishment directive.