Haunting Footage
The Shocking Confession: He Filmed the Murder of Israelis in an "Act for Palestine"
A gunman's premeditated plot to record a double murder is revealed as prosecutors disclose new, disturbing details in the case. The killer filmed the entire attack on a body camera before walking into a museum where he confessed to police.
An attack that claimed the lives of two young Israeli Embassy staff members has been revealed to be a premeditated act, with new court filings showing the gunman, Elias Rodriguez, wore a body camera to record the murder.
Rodriguez, 31, traveled from Chicago to Washington D.C. the day before the May 21 shooting. He brought a firearm in his checked luggage and bought a ticket to a Capital Jewish Museum event just three hours before it began. Prosecutors disclosed that Rodriguez purchased the body-worn camera online and had it delivered to his hotel, a move they argue demonstrates the calculated nature of the attack that killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The couple, who both worked for the Israeli Embassy, were about to get engaged when their lives were tragically cut short as they left the museum event. Rodriguez's body camera captured him shooting them at close range while shouting "Free Palestine." After the shooting, he calmly entered the museum where attendees, believing him to be a victim, offered him water and comfort.
Approximately 15 minutes later, Rodriguez asked someone to call the police and confessed. Upon his arrest, an officer's body camera also recorded Rodriguez stating, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
Federal prosecutors have since provided copies of both the gunman's body camera footage and the police officer's body camera footage to Rodriguez's defense attorneys. The defense has requested more time to prepare "mitigation evidence" to persuade prosecutors not to pursue the death penalty. They are asking to extend the deadline for submitting this evidence from October 20 to March 19.
"The investigation and presentation of mitigating evidence is of paramount importance in any capital-eligible case," defense attorneys wrote in their motion. "After all, mitigating evidence can be the difference between a life sentence and a death sentence.” A judge has scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday to consider the defense's request. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty against Rodriguez.