A jury in Illinois has convicted a 73-year-old man of murder for fatally stabbing a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy in an attack deemed a hate crime.
Joseph Czuba was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and two counts of hate crime for the killing of Wadea Al-Fayoumi and the brutal assault on the child’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.
The attack took place in October 2023, just days after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Czuba, who was the family’s landlord, stabbed Wadea 26 times. During the autopsy, a six-inch serrated military knife was removed from the child’s abdomen.
“Today’s verdict delivers a measure of justice for Wadee Al-Fayoumi’s family and sends a clear message that hate-fueled violence has no place here,” said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
The family’s lawyers welcomed the verdict but said it could never make up for the loss.
“While we are relieved that his killer has been held accountable, we must continue to stand against the rising tide of hate that led to this senseless act,” they said in a statement released on Friday, February 28, 2025.
Czuba, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been in custody since his arrest. He now faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing scheduled for May 2.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office stated that Czuba targeted his victims “due to them being Muslims and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
At the time of the attack, then-US President Joe Biden condemned the killing as a horrific act of hate that has no place in America.
