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The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of
their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel
and Hamas, which started days earlier.
Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of
Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County
Sheriff’s Office.
Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on
American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago office, said in a statement
on Saturday that “this depraved killer has died, but the hate is
still alive and well.”
Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and
her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and
police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before
handing in a verdict.
The family had been renting rooms in Czuba’s home in Plainfield,
about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack
happened.
Central to prosecutors’ case was harrowing testimony from the
boy’s mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to
her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim.
Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage.
Czuba’s wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified
for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the
Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier.
Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and
stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child’s body.
Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the
judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from
the audience, which included Wadee’s relatives.
The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit
particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which
have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee’s
funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have
dedicated a park playground in his honor.
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