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Joseph Czuba, 73, is charged in the fatal stabbing of
six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of Hanan Shaheen
on Oct. 14, 2023. Authorities said the family was targeted
because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war
between Israel and Hamas that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with a
Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Opening statements start Tuesday morning in a trial that is
expected to last about a week.
Czuba has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree
murder, one count of attempted murder and other charges. His
defense attorney, George Lenard, declined to comment before the
end of the trial.
The attack on the family in Plainfield, nearly 40 miles (65
kilometers) southwest of Chicago, has renewed fears of
anti-Muslim discrimination in the Chicago area’s large and
established Palestinian community. The proceedings also come
amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the
U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.
“We firmly pray and hope that Mr. Czuba will be locked up for
the rest of his life, so we can send a message that hate crimes
against anyone on the basis of their religion and national
origin are not tolerated,” Joe Milburn, a staff attorney for the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, told reporters Monday
ahead of jury selection.
Prosecutors allege Czuba became increasing paranoid about the
war because of listening to commentary on conservative talk
radio. Shaheen told police that Czuba was upset over the war and
attacked them after she had urged him to “pray for peace.”
The boy — whose name was initially spelled Wadea Al-Fayoume by
authorities — was stabbed 26 times. Shaheen had more than a
dozen stab wounds and it took her weeks to recover.
The murder charge in the indictment against Czuba describes the
boy’s death as the result of “exceptionally brutal or heinous
behavior.” Czuba remained detained with prosecutors arguing that
Czuba was a danger to Shaheen and others.
Hundreds attended the boy’s janazah, or funeral service, where
the boy was remembered as kind and into sports and Legos.
Separately, the father of the boy, who is divorced from Shaheen
and did not live at the home, has filed a wrongful death
lawsuit.
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