JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — In Illinois, a landlord fatally harmed a 6-year-old Muslim child and gravely injured the boy’s mother in a violent attack.
hate-crime attack
days after the war
in Gaza
started was handed a 53-year prison sentence on Friday.
Joseph Czuba, aged 73, was convicted in February of murder, attempted murder, and hate crimes related to the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the injury of his mother, Hanan Shaheen.
Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak handed down a 30-year prison term to Czuba for the boy’s death, followed by an additional consecutive 20 years for assaulting Shaheen. She further ordered three years in jail for hate crimes. Given the duration of his sentencing, it is almost assured that he will spend the rest of his life incarcerated.
No statement can reclaim what has been lost, yet the result reached today provides a crucial sense of justice,” stated Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director at CAIR-Chicago. “Wadee was an innocent child. He became a target simply due to his identity—a Muslim, Palestinian, and dearly cherished individual.
During the sentencing, Czuba remained silent. His lawyer, Lenard, also chose not to comment. The office of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow released a statement referring to Czuba as a “morally despicable murderer,” emphasizing that the repercussions of his acts were utterly inconceivable.
The young man’s great-uncle, Mahmoud Yousef, was the sole family member to speak at the hearing. He expressed that regardless of how long the sentencing might be, it would never suffice. According to him, his parents’ aspirations for him were thwarted by Czuba, robbing him of those future prospects.
Yousef questioned Czuba about why he assaulted the boy and his mother, seeking clarification on what information he had received that angered him; however, Czuba remained silent.
Chicago Tribune reported.
In October 2023, Czuba singled out these individuals due to their Islamic beliefs and as an answer to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to statements made by prosecutors at the trial.
The evidence presented during the trial encompassed chilling statements made by Shaheen alongside her urgent 911 call recordings. Additionally, gruesome images of the crime scene and footage captured by law enforcement were shown. The jury took under ninety minutes to reach their decision after deliberating.
The family was renting rooms at Czuba’s place in Plainfield, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) away from Chicago, during the time of the incident.
A key element of the prosecution’s argument was
harrowing testimony
From the boy’s mother, she mentioned that Czuba assaulted her initially before targeting her son. She emphasized their urgent need to depart as they identified themselves as Muslims. The prosecutors presented the 911 audio recording along with police video evidence during the proceedings. Additionally, testimony was provided by Czuba’s ex-wife, Mary—who he later separated from—supporting the prosecution’s case; she recounted how he became increasingly distressed over the matter.
Israel-Hamas war
, which had burst into activity just days before.
The police stated that Czuba took out a knife from a sheath attached to his belt and proceeded to stab the boy 26 times, with the knife remaining lodged in the victim’s body. Due to the graphic nature of some of the blood-soaked crime scene photographs, even the judge allowed turning off the courtroom TVs displaying these images when they faced the gallery where Wadee’s family members were seated.
Michael Fitzgerald, a Will County assistant state’s attorney, informed the jurors during the trial, “He couldn’t get away,” adding, “Not only did this accused murder the young boy, but he also left the knife inside the child’s body.”
The jury spent 90 minutes in deliberation prior to reaching their decision.
The incident reignited concerns about potential anti-Muslim prejudice and had an especially strong impact in Plainfield and nearby areas known for their sizable and well-established Palestinian population. Wadee’s funeral attracted substantial attendance, with local authorities in Plainfield honoring him by dedicating a park playground in his memory.
Shaheen possessed over a
dozen stab wounds
and it took her
weeks to recover.
She mentioned that during the entire time she lived there for two years with the Czubas, including shared use of the kitchen and living room, everything was fine. However, once the conflict began, Mr. Czuba informed her that they needed to vacate the premises as Muslims weren’t accepted anymore. Later on, he approached Ms. Shaheen aggressively, pinned her down, stabbed her, and attempted to damage her teeth.
“He told me, ‘As a Muslim, you must die,'” stated Shaheen, who gave testimony during the trial in both English and Arabic with the help of an interpreter.
The police stated that when they arrived, they found Czuba outside the residence, seated on the ground covered in blood on both his body and hands.
Individually, several lawsuits have been initiated regarding the boy’s death, one of which has been brought forth by his father, Odai Alfayoumri, who is divorced from Shaheen and did not reside with them at the time. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice has commenced a federal hate crimes investigation into the matter.
After the hearing, Yousef spoke to journalists stating that Czuba acted like a grandfather to Wadee, and the family cannot comprehend what “fake news” might have influenced Czuba’s perception of the conflict in Gaza, leading him to assault the boy and his mother. It is crucial for people to gain an understanding of Muslims prior to making judgments, he emphasized.
“Yousef stated that some individuals are escalating this conflict within our nation. ‘We must not allow that to happen,’ he continued. ‘The war should be kept out of our country. Hatred has no place here either… these actions need to cease.’”
___
This tale has been revised to fix the misspelling of ‘Mahmoud.’
AP News, APNews
