A landlord who was ordered to spend decades in prison following the killing of a Palestinian American boy and injuring his mother died.
Joseph Czuba was previously convicted of 53 years in prison in connection to the assault three months ago. In February, he was convicted of murder, attempted murder and hate crime against 6 year old Wadee Alfayoumi and the mother of the boy, Hanan Shaheen.
In October of 2023, the 73-year-old Czuba chose to attack them due to their being Muslim as well as in reaction to the war between Hamas and Israel, which had broken out a few days earlier.
According to the statement released by the Will County Sheriff Office, Czuba died on Thursday when he was in the custody of Illinois Department of Corrections.
We may have killed off this depraved killer but the hate remains alive and well said Ahmed Rehab in a statement Saturday that the executive director of the Chicago office of Council on American-Islamic Relations.
At trial, there were gut-wrenching testimony by Shaheen and her desperate 911 call, as well as crime scene photos and police videos stained with blood. Less than 90 minutes was the time that jurors took before submitting the verdict.
At the time of the attack, the family was currently renting rooms in the house of Czuba located in Plainfield, which was 40 miles (64 kilometers) away form Chicago.
Key to the prosecution’s case was the tearful testimony of the boy’s mother, who said Czuba then attacked her before grabbing her son and telling them people must go — because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 tape and showed police footage. Czuba’s wife, Mary, with whom he has since divorced, testified for the prosecution, adding that he had grown angry over the Israel-Hamas war that had begun just days before.
Police said Czuba drew a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife lodged in the kid’s body. Some of the graphic bloody crime scene pictures were so graphic that the judge even agreed to turn TV screens displaying them away from the public which included Wadee’s family members.
The attack has reignited concerns over anti-Muslim bigotry and hammered hardest in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a big and well-established Palestinian population. Wadee’s funeral brought out huge crowds and Plainfield officials have even dedicated a park playground in his honor.
