Illinois man pleads not guilty to stabbing Muslim mother and murdering her son

Joseph Czuba, 71, on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of hate crime, murder, attempted murder, and battery at an arraignment in Joliet, Ill. Prosecutors allege Czuba assaulted Hanaan Shahin, 32, and murdered her son, 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. Czuba, the victims’ landlord, stabbed them each repeatedly, prosecutors say. Before the attack, Shahin had suggested he “pray for peace” following the terrorist group Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

What happens next? Czuba’s next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8. Judge David Carlson ruled that Czuba will stay behind bars until his trial after prosecutors argued that they believed he was a danger to the community.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about how Israel’s war with Hamas affects U.S. foreign policy.