Illinois jury announces verdict in killing of Palestinian American boy

A jury on Friday convicted an Illinois landlord in a 2023 stabbing that claimed the life of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy, Wadee Alfayoumi, and left his mother critically injured.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was emotionless after being found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of committing a hate crime, FOX 32 Chicago reported.

Alfayoumi’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, told police Czuba was upset about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and ensuing war and attacked her and her son Oct. 14, after she asked him to “pray for peace.”

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She was stabbed multiple times.

The war began just a week prior to the attack, on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel.

Prosecutors alleged Czuba stabbed his tenants of two years because they were Palestinian Americans, FOX 32 reported.

In a video shown in court Thursday, Czuba spoke with an officer about the attack inside a police car.

“I was afraid they were going to do Jihad on me,” Czuba said.

Footage was also captured of Czuba saying Shahin didn’t tell him she was Muslim and comparing the Palestinian Liberation Organization to Nazis, according to the report.

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Even though there were no previous issues with Shahin and her son, Czuba’s wife testified he became withdrawn and angry after watching news coverage of the Hamas attack and asked the family to move out, FOX 32 reported. 

According to the report, Shahin told the court Czuba said, “You, as a Muslim, must die,” while he attacked her with the knife.

She locked herself in the bathroom and called 911, then heard her son screaming in another room, according to FOX 32.

The 15-minute phone call was played in court, and Shahin said her son could be heard screaming in the background.

Prosecutors said blood and DNA evidence was found on the knife, which was left in the boy’s body, according to the report.

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, the first Palestinian American to serve in the state Legislature, released a statement describing the case as “gut-wrenching.”

“My heart goes out to the family of Wadee Alfayoumi today,” Rashid said. “The jury was right to find Joseph Czuba guilty on all charges, including murder and hate crimes.”

FOX 32 Chicago and the Associated Press contributed to this report.