His
attorney George Lenard entered the plea for him and Czuba,
appearing in a red jail uniform, did not speak, an NBC News
affiliate in Chicago reported on Monday.
He is charged with the fatal stabbing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6,
and the wounding of his mother Hanaan Shahin, 32, on Oct. 14, in
Plainfield Township, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of
Chicago.
The boy was stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife with a
7-inch (18-cm) serrated blade, the Will County Sheriff's Office
said in a statement.
Czuba's attorney was not immediately available to Reuters for
comment on Monday. Lenard has previously told the media that he
will not comment outside the courtroom.
Czuba entered the plea at an arraignment in Joilet, about 50
miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, on eight counts,
including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder,
aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and hate crimes.
"Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this
brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being
Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas
and the Israelis," the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a
statement earlier.
He remains in jail with no bond allowed, court records say.
The Department of Justice has also opened a federal
investigation into Al-Fayoume's death.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Mark Porter)
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