Landlord Who Stabbed 6-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy 26 Times Sentenced to 53 Years

Joseph Czuba has been sentenced to 53 years in prison for the fatal 2023 stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadee Alfayoumi and the attempted murder of his mother, Hanan Shaheen.

The 73-year-old landlord was convicted on all charges, including hate crimes, after attacking the family in their Plainfield, Illinois home over their Muslim faith.

Czuba targeted the family following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, telling police he feared they would commit “jihad.” In court, Shaheen recalled Czuba yelling anti-Muslim slurs as he stabbed her and then her son. Her chilling 911 call, in which she screamed “He’s killing my baby,” was played for the jury.

Wadee’s family says no sentence can undo their pain. “He took a life from us. He took a future,” said the boy’s great-uncle. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the sentencing a step toward justice but urged continued work to fight hate-fueled violence.