Illinois landlord to be sentenced in hate crime that left 6-year-old Palestinian American boy dead

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois landlord recovered blameworthy of a vicious hatred transgression that near a 6-year-old Muslim lad dormant and wounded his parent days aft the commencement of the warfare successful Gaza successful 2023 was owed successful tribunal Friday for sentencing.

A assemblage convicted 73-year-old Joseph Czuba successful February of execution and hatred transgression charges successful the fatal stabbing of Wadee Alfayoumi, who was Palestinian American, and the wounding of his mother, Hanan Shaheen. The household had been renting rooms successful Czuba’s location successful Plainfield, astir 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago, successful 2023 erstwhile the onslaught happened.

Central to prosecutors' lawsuit was harrowing grounds from the boy’s mother, who said Czuba attacked her earlier moving connected to her son, insisting they had to permission due to the fact that they were Muslim. Prosecutors besides played the 911 telephone and showed constabulary footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom helium has since divorced, besides testified for the prosecution, saying helium had go agitated astir the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier.

Police said Czuba pulled a weapon from a holder connected a loop and stabbed the lad 26 times, leaving the weapon successful the child's body. Some of the bloody transgression country photos were truthful explicit that the justice agreed to crook tv screens showing them distant from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives.

“He could not escape,” Michael Fitzgerald, a Will County adjunct state’s attorney, told jurors astatine trial. “If it wasn’t capable that this suspect killed that small boy, helium near the weapon successful the small boy’s body.”

The assemblage deliberated for 90 minutes earlier returning a verdict. Czuba is eligible for a minimum situation condemnation of 20 to 60 years oregon life, according to the Will County state's attorney's office.

Prosecutors declined to remark up of Friday's proceeding and person not said what condemnation they volition seek. Illinois does not person the decease penalty.

The onslaught renewed fears of anti-Muslim favoritism and deed peculiarly hard successful Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which person a ample and established Palestinian community. Wadee's ceremonial drew ample crowds and Plainfield officials person dedicated a parkland playground successful his honor.

Czuba did not talk during the trial. His defence attorneys argued that determination were holes successful the case. His nationalist defender, George Lenard, has not addressed reporters and declined remark up of the sentencing.

Shaheen had much than a twelve stab wounds and it took her weeks to recover.

She said determination were nary anterior issues successful the 2 years she rented from the Czubas, adjacent sharing a room and a surviving room.

Then aft the commencement of the war, Czuba told her that they had to determination retired due to the fact that Muslims were not welcome. He aboriginal confronted Shaheen and attacked her, holding her down, stabbing her and trying to interruption her teeth.

“He told maine ’You, arsenic a Muslim, indispensable die,” said Shaheen, who testified successful English and Arabic though a translator.

Police testified that officers recovered Czuba extracurricular the house, sitting connected the crushed with humor connected his assemblage and hands.

Separately, civilian lawsuits person been filed implicit the boy’s death, including by his father, Odai Alfayoumi, who is divorced from Shaheen and was not surviving with them. The U.S. Department of Justice besides launched a national hatred crimes investigation.