Illinois Landlord Sentenced for Hate-Driven Murder

Joseph Czuba, a 73-year-old landlord from Plainfield, Illinois, was sentenced to 53 years in prison for murdering 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadee Alfayoumi and severely stabbing the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, in a hate-driven attack in October 2023. The attack occurred after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war and was fueled by Czuba's agitation over the conflict and the family's Islamic faith. Czuba stabbed Wadee 26 times, left the knife in his body, and stabbed Shaheen over a dozen times. Key prosecution evidence included harrowing testimony from Shaheen, crime scene details, and accounts from Czuba’s ex-wife about his increasing paranoia after October 7th. Czuba was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and hate crimes following a jury deliberation of less than 90 minutes. The case sparked national and international outcry over rising Islamophobia and hate crimes in the U.S.