In 2023, an Illinois landlord was convicted by a jury for a stabbing incident that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy, Wadee Alfayoumi, and severe injuries to his mother.
After the verdict, 73-year-old Joseph Czuba showed no emotion as he was found guilty on multiple charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and committing a hate crime, as per a report by FOX 32 Chicago.
According to Alfayoumi’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, Czuba was reportedly angered by a terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel and subsequent conflict on Oct. 7, 2023. She stated that Czuba attacked her and her son on Oct. 14 after she requested him to “pray for peace.”
Wadee Alfayoumi’s father, Oday Alfayoumi, right, and his uncle, Mahmoud Yousef, attended a vigil for Wadee at the Prairie Activity and Recreation Center in Plainfield, Ill., Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Even though there were no previous issues with Shahin and her son, Czuba’s wife testified he became withdrawn and angry after watching news coverage of the Hamas attack and asked the family to move out, FOX 32 reported.
According to the report, Shahin told the court Czuba said, “You, as a Muslim, must die,” while he attacked her with the knife.
She locked herself in the bathroom and called 911, then heard her son screaming in another room, according to FOX 32.
Protesters take part in the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine March in Chicago Aug. 21, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
The 15-minute phone call was played in court, and Shahin said her son could be heard screaming in the background.
Prosecutors said blood and DNA evidence was found on the knife, which was left in the boy’s body, according to the report.
State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, the first Palestinian American to serve in the state Legislature, released a statement describing the case as “gut-wrenching.”
“My heart goes out to the family of Wadee Alfayoumi today,” Rashid said. “The jury was right to find Joseph Czuba guilty on all charges, including murder and hate crimes.”
FOX 32 Chicago and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
