Pirro Says Death Penalty Decision Is Pending in Murder of Jewish Couple at D.C.

A federal prosecutor says she may seek the death penalty for the man accused of murdering a young couple who worked at the Israeli Embassy at Washington, D.C., but that the final decision will rest with Attorney General Bondi.Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum during an event that was being held there on May 21.The United States attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, outlined a nine-count grand jury indictment against Elias Rodriguez on Thursday morning. Along with murder and hate crimes, Mr. Rodriguez faces weapons and assault with intent to kill counts.Ms. Pirro said the hate-crime charges are warranted because Mr. Rodriguez expressed support for violence against Israelis. The killing of Milgrim, who was shot multiple times as she tried to crawl to safety, was “especially heinous and cruel and depraved,” she said.Ms. Pirro said Mr. Rodriguez penned a document on his phone as he traveled to Washington from Chicago. His manifesto, titled “Explication,” argued for the “morality of armed demonstration” and stated that “[t]hose of us against the genocide take satisfaction in arguing that the perpetrators and abettors have forfeited their humanity.”Ms. Pirro said that there is a “rigorous process” to be followed before deciding whether to pursue the death penalty in the case. That process has begun, she said, but “it is … the attorney general who will determine whether” to go ahead.Ms. Pirro said she has explained the process to the families of Lischinsky in Israel and Milgrim in the United States and told them they will be able to express their wishes as part of the process.“These are people who are broken because of one man’s actions,” Ms. Pirro said. “These are people who should have been in-laws but because of one man’s actions, they will never be able to celebrate a marriage that was intended or the grandchildren that would have resulted.”Officials say Mr. Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” while shooting Lischinsky and Milgrim. Moments later, he reportedly went inside the building, displayed a red keffiyeh, and said, “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun and 20 spent shell casings at the scene. The FBI says Mr. Rodriguez intended to carry out a mass shooting inside the building but his gun jammed.The Senate over the weekend officially confirmed Ms. Pirro, the former Fox News host, prosecutor, and judge, as the federal prosecutor overseeing the nation’s capital. She had been serving as the acting attorney since May.Ms. Pirro said that antisemitism is on the rise but will not be tolerated in the American capital.“I fight hate crimes with a vengeance,” she said at Thursday’s press conference. “Justice will be swift and it will be certain.”

Pirro Says Death Penalty Decision Is Pending in Murder of Jewish Couple at D.C.

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