Illinois landlord found guilty in stabbing death of Muslim boy

A jury convicted Joseph Czuba, 73, of murder and hate crimes on Friday for his 2023 killing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy, according to a report by the Associated Press. Czuba stabbed Wadee Alfayoumi 26 times, a doctor reported at trial. Czuba was also found guilty of attempted murder for attacking and stabbing the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.

Defense attorneys argued evidence was incomplete and presented testimony that Czuba regularly carried knives for household tasks, CNN reported.

Czuba is set for sentencing in May. Shaheen has filed a separate civil lawsuit against him.

Why did Czuba target the family? The boy and his mother were Czuba’s tenants. The Plainfield landlord carried out the murder on Oct. 14, 2023, just days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, over his victims’ Muslim faith. While in police custody, Czuba said he was afraid the boy and his mother would commit jihad and compared them to rats, according to reporting by WLS-TV.