Who was Joseph Czuba? Landlord who killed 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in hate crime dies in Illinois prison

Prosecutors said Joseph Czuba targeted the family for being Muslim and was angry over the Israel-Hamas war, which had started just days before the attack.

Joseph Czuba, a landlord who was serving a 53-year prison sentence for killing a Palestinian American boy and stabbing his mother, has died in custody.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder, and hate crime charges for an attack that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi (AP)

He died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, according to New York post report.

Who was Joseph Czuba ?

Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder, and hate crime charges for an attack that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and injured his mother, Hanan Shaheen in October 2023.

Prosecutors said Czuba targeted the family because they were Muslim and that he was upset over the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which had broken out just days earlier. The family was renting rooms in Czuba’s Plainfield home, about 40 miles from Chicago, at the time of the attack.

Evidence in the trial included Shaheen’s 911 call, her testimony, police video, and crime scene photos. She told jurors that Czuba came after her first, then turned on her son, yelling that they had to leave because they were Muslim.

Joseph Czuba stabbed the boy 26 times

Czuba’s ex-wife, Mary, testified that he had become increasingly angry about the war. Police said he pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed Wadee 26 times, leaving the knife in the boy’s body.

Some of the crime scene images were so graphic the judge turned the courtroom screens away from the audience, which included Wadee’s family members.

Jurors took less than 90 minutes to reach a verdict. Ahmed Rehab, executive director of CAIR’s Chicago office, said in a statement, “This depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.”

The murder shocked Plainfield and nearby suburbs, where many Palestinian families live. Wadee’s funeral was heavily attended, and the town has since named a playground in his honor.