Joseph Czuba, the 73-year-old landlord who was convicted of the horrific stabbing death of six-year-old Palestinian-American(US) boy Wadee Alfayoumi and the critical injury of his mother, Hanan Shaheen, has died in prison. Czuba was sentenced to 53 years in prison for the attack, which was motivated by hate and a response to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
The murder of Alfayoumi and the attack on his mother was one of the earliest and worst hate crime incidents in the US since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago office, said in a statement that “this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.”
During the trial, jurors heard harrowing testimony from Shaheen, including her frantic 911 call, and saw bloody crime scene photos and a police video. The prosecution’s case also included testimony from Czuba’s ex-wife, Mary, who said he had become agitated about Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians.
Central to the prosecution’s case was Shaheen’s testimony, in which she described how Czuba attacked her and her son. “He told me: ‘You, as a Muslim, must die,'” she said. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed Alfayoumi 26 times.
The case generated widespread headlines and deeply struck the Chicago area’s large and established Palestinian community amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the US. Wadee’s funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.
The attack on Alfayoumi and his mother was part of a wave of hate crimes targeting Palestinians and Muslims in the US. Other incidents include the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American girl in Texas, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas, and the beating of a Muslim man in New York.
As the US grapples with rising hate crimes and Islamophobia, the case of Wadee Alfayoumi serves as a tragic reminder of the need for greater understanding and tolerance. The community continues to mourn the loss of a young life, and the legacy of Wadee Alfayoumi will live on as a symbol of the devastating impact of hate crimes.