Illinois man pleads not guilty to hate crimes after fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian boy

October 30, 2023 04:15 PM

The man from Plainfield, Illinois, accused of hate crimes and murder in the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy pleaded not guilty to state charges on Monday.

Joseph Czuba, 71, faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime in connection with a knife attack, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated battery in the killing of Wadea al Fayoume, 6, and the hospitalization of his mother, Hanaan Shahin, 32.

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Czuba was indicted last week and appeared in court on Monday to plead not guilty to all eight charges. If convicted, Czuba could face life in prison, Judge David M. Carlson said during Czuba’s hearing at Will County Courthouse.

Joseph Czuba, 71, is led into a Will County, Illinois, courtroom for his arraignment in the murder of 6-year-old Wadea al Fayoume at the county courthouse on Oct. 30, 2023, in Joliet, Illinois.

The Plainfield man, who was the boy and mother’s landlord for two years, attacked his Muslim tenants at their shared home in Plainfield Township after listening to discussions on conservative talk radio about the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

“Mr. Czuba indicated that he was blaming her … for what was going on in the Middle East,” prosecutor Michael Fitzgerald said during the hearing, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The landlord attacked Shahin with a large knife, and she ran to the bathroom to call 911, but she was unable to get her son in the bathroom. While Shahin was in the bathroom, Czuba killed Fayoume. Authorities said Fayoume was stabbed 26 times on Oct. 14 while Shahin was stabbed over a dozen times. Shahin was released from the hospital over a week ago, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago.

Oday Al Fayoume, Mahmoud Yousef — Wadea Al Fayoume’s father, Oday Al Fayoume, and his uncle Mahmoud Yousef attend a vigil for Wadea at Prairie Activity and Recreation Center in Plainfield, Illinois, on Oct. 17, 2023.

Fitzgerald called Czuba a danger to Shahin and the community and argued for the landlord to remain detained before his next court appearance. Czuba’s defense attorneys described him as an Air Force veteran with strong ties to the town and no criminal history.

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Carlson ruled that Czuba would remain detained, even though his scored risk level “is quite low.” However, Carlson determined detention was the only way to, “quite frankly, alleviate any concerns or any threats in the community.”

Czuba’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024. The FBI and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are investigating the incident as well.