Illinois Man Imprisoned For Hate Crime Attack That Killed Palestinian American Boy Has Died

The 73-year-old landlord was sentenced three months earlier for killing 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and wounding his mother Hanan Shaheen in 2023.

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian American boy and wounded his mother has died.

Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.

The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier.

Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that “this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.”