Jury finds Illinois man guilty of killing 6-year-old Palestinian boy in hate crime after Hamas attack on Israel

A jury outside of Chicago convicted an Illinois man on Friday of murder and hate crime charges for the fatal 2023 stabbing of a Palestinian-American boy who lived on his property, an attack prosecutors said was fueled by anti-Muslim hate amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Joseph M. Czuba, 73, faces up to life in prison for the attack on Wadee Alfayoumi, 6, and his mother, Hanan Shaheen, who was injured.

Czuba, who was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and hate crimes, stabbed the pair more than 30 times in October of 2023, according to police.

Alfayoumi and Shaheen rented rooms from Czuba in Plainfield, about 40 miles outside of Chicago.

After the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the landlord began making hateful remarks about Muslims and told Shaheen “your people” are killing Jews, Shaheen testified, adding that she told Czuba to, “Pray for peace.”

A week after the Hamas attack, Czuba forced his way into Shaheen’s room, stabbing her over a dozen times.

The mother fled into a bathroom to call 911, and the landlord then went into a separate room to stab Alfayoumi 26 times.

The 7-inch blade was still in the child’s body when police arrived.

Czuba had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.