A federal judge on Wednesday urged caution and discretion as the Department of Justice weighs whether to seek the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers in May.
“Why not take some additional time to make sure the decision is an informed decision?” Judge Randolph Moss asked when DOJ attorneys were discussing an Oct. 20 deadline to gather and present U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office with “mitigating evidence” that could weigh against seeking the death penalty in Rodriguez’s case.
Pirro last month said deciding whether to pursue the death penalty is a “weighty decision” that “takes time.”
“We’re all human beings here, too, and I think we all want to make sure there’s a process,” Moss said.
Rodriguez was charged in August with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death.
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