JOLIET, Ill. — A disturbing 911 call and chilling police footage are central to the ongoing murder and hate crime trial of an Illinois landlord accused of killing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in 2023.
Joseph Czuba, 73, faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and committing a hate crime related to the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the injury of his mother, Hanan Shaheen, in October 2023 in suburban Chicago. Authorities assert that Czuba targeted the family due to their Islamic faith and as a reaction to the conflict between Israel and Hamas that had erupted shortly before.
During opening statements, prosecutors detailed how Czuba allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed the child 26 times after attacking his mother.
“This violence stemmed from the defendant’s belief that a war beginning on October 7, 2023, half a world away, would impact him locally,” stated a Will County assistant state’s attorney. “This violence occurred solely because Hanan and Wadee are Muslim.”
Czuba, residing in Plainfield, pleaded not guilty and remained silent throughout the proceedings.
His defense attorneys urged jurors to scrutinize the evidence presented, emphasizing that some critical elements were missing despite the graphic nature of the evidence.
“It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the horror,” remarked a public defender. “But the prosecution must provide more than just shocking images to prove their case.”
The family had been renting rooms from Czuba and his wife in a shared home for two years without prior issues. However, following the onset of the war, Czuba allegedly told Shaheen they needed to leave because Muslims were not welcome. Shaheen testified that she urged him to “pray for peace,” but later he confronted her, attacked her, and made violent threats against her life.
“‘You, as a Muslim, must die,’ he said,” Shaheen recounted, speaking primarily in English with some assistance from an Arabic translator.
After the attack, Shaheen locked herself in a bathroom, covered in blood, and called 911 when she heard her son screaming.
“She seemed in shock, very quiet,” testified a responding police officer. “She was trembling and staring.”
Wadee, initially reported with a different spelling, was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, while his mother sustained more than a dozen stab wounds and required weeks for recovery.
As jurors observed the proceedings, emotional reactions were palpable, especially from law enforcement witnesses recalling the harrowing scene.
This tragic case has sparked widespread concern and fears of anti-Muslim discrimination within the Chicago area’s sizable Palestinian community, coinciding with a rise in hostility toward Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S. since the outbreak of violence in October 2023.
