A 73-year-old Illinois landlord, Joseph Czuba, has been sentenced to 53 years in prison after being found guilty of the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy, Wadee Alfayoumi, in a violent attack fueled by hate.
Czuba was convicted of murder and hate crime charges after the tragic incident on October 14, 2023, in Plainville, Illinois.
Details of the Attack
The attack occurred just days after the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, when Czuba, angry about the conflict, forced his way into the apartment of his tenants, Hanan Shaheen and her son, Wadee.
Police reports state that Czuba was enraged about the war and began strangling Shaheen, before pulling out a military-style knife and stabbing her multiple times.
Shaheen was able to escape to a bathroom to call 911, suffering over a dozen stab wounds. Meanwhile, her young son, Wadee, was tragically stabbed 26 times and did not survive the attack.
The court trial included disturbing testimony, with audio from Shaheen’s frantic 911 call, in which she could be heard crying out for help, saying, “The landlord is killing me and my baby!”
During the trial, Shaheen testified about Czuba’s growing paranoia and Islamophobia, which became more evident as the war in Gaza escalated. She recalled Czuba telling her, “You, as a Muslim, must die,” just before the attack.
Hate Crime and Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment
This incident is considered one of the most high-profile acts of anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and Islamophobic violence in the U.S. following the escalation of the Israel-Gaza war.
Advocates have pointed to this event as part of a broader rise in anti-Arab and Islamophobic incidents in the country. The attack on Shaheen and her son reflects the increasing hostility toward Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim communities during this time.
Czuba, who was arrested at the scene with blood on his hands, pleaded not guilty. His defense team later tried to vacate his conviction, arguing that the prosecution played on the jury’s emotions. However, the jury convicted him after less than 90 minutes of deliberation.
The Sentence and Family’s Response
On Friday, July 19, 2025, Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Czuba to 53 years in prison, calling his actions “brutal” and “heinous.” The sentence included 30 years for the murder of Wadee Alfayoumi, 20 years for the attack on Shaheen, and 3 years for committing a hate crime.
Mahmoud Yousef, Wadee’s great-uncle, spoke at the sentencing hearing, emphasizing that no prison sentence could ever bring back his beloved nephew or heal the grief caused by the brutal attack.
Yousef also condemned the spread of misinformation related to the Gaza conflict, which he believes fueled the violence in their community. “We cannot bring this war here. We cannot bring hatred to this country,” he said.
Advocacy and Calls for Action
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) responded to the sentencing by urging Americans to reject hate and prejudice. “We must come together to ensure that tragedies fueled by anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian hate, and Islamophobia are never accepted as the norm in our society,” said ADC Executive Director Abed Ayoub.
In a report earlier this year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed that there had been a 7.6% increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents in the last year, marking the highest number of complaints since they began tracking such incidents in 1996.
While the sentencing of Joseph Czuba offers some closure to the grieving family and community, it underscores the alarming rise of hate crimes and Islamophobic violence that continues to affect Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim communities in the U.S.
Advocates continue to call for stronger actions to address this trend and ensure that such hate-driven violence is not tolerated.
