| Murder of Wadea al-Fayoume | |
|---|---|
 al-Fayoume in an undated photo | |
| Location | Plainfield, Illinois, United States |
| Date | October 14, 2023 (2023-10-14) c. 11:30 a.m. (CDT) |
Attack type | Child murder,stabbing,strangulation, hate crime |
| Weapon | Military knife |
| Deaths | Wadea al-Fayoume |
| Injured | Hanaan Shahin |
| Perpetrator | Joseph Czuba |
| Motive | Anti-Palestinianism Islamophobia Reaction to the Gaza War |
| Verdict | Guilty on all counts |
| Convictions | |
| Sentence | 53 years in prison |
On October 14, 2023,Wadea al-Fayoume (Arabic:وديع الفيوم,romanized: Wadīʿa al-Fayyūm), a six-year-oldPalestinian-American boy, was murdered by 71-year-old Joseph Czuba inPlainfield Township, Illinois, United States. His mother, Hanaan Shahin, was also stabbed and throttled, leaving her critically injured. The murder was a hate crime motivated byIslamophobia andanti-Palestinianism, and an extremist reaction to the contemporaneousGaza war.[1]
The murder led to several statements and condemnations from government officials and organizations. A fundraiser was organized to give Shahin safe housing, covering fees for the funeral and hospitalization, and establishing a charity in al-Fayoume's name. A vigil was held for him shortly after his death.
Czuba, who was Shahin's landlord, was arrested and charged with five counts.[2] His trial was February 24–28, 2025. He was convicted of all charges, including murder and hate crimes. On May 2, 2025, he was sentenced to 53 years in prison.[3] Czuba died in prison on July 24, 2025.[4][5]
According to theWill County Sheriff's Office, at around 11:30 a.m. on October 14, 2023, the landlord Joseph Czuba knocked on the door of 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin's home. Shahin told detectives that Czuba came to her door, angry with her about what was happening inJerusalem.[2][6][7][8] After Shahin answered the door, Czuba throttled her while yelling "You Muslims must die."[9][10][11] After Shahin responded, "let's give peace a chance", Czuba attacked her with a military knife.[6][12] Shahin scratched him, ran to the bathroom and called9-1-1. When she came out, she found her six-year-old son Wadea al-Fayoume wounded with multiple stab wounds. Al-Fayoume and Shahin were transported to a hospital, where al-Fayoume was pronounced dead and Shahin was treated in critical condition. Law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene found Czuba sitting outside Shahin's home with a cut on his face.[10][2][11]
Authorities said that the attack was motivated by anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian extremism following the escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in October 2023.[13] Czuba's wife said that her husband regularly listens to conservativetalk radio[6] and was very interested incurrent events. He was afraid that a"national day of jihad" would happen on October 13, and that his tenants would call Palestinian friends to come and harm him and his wife.[7] He also withdrew $1,000 from his bank account in case "the grid" went down.[7] In December 2023, it was reported that his wife had filed for divorce.[14]
Prosecutors charged Czuba withfirst-degree murder,attempted first-degree murder,aggravated battery with adeadly weapon, and two counts ofhate crimes.[6][15][10][2][11] The United States Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland and theUnited States Department of Justice opened a federal hate crime investigation into the attack on October 15.[16] TheFBI announced a separate hate crime investigation the following day.[17]
Czuba's trial began on February 24, 2025 in Will County, with jury selection taking place;[18][19] he was represented by public defender George D. Lenard.[19] Prosecutors delivered their opening address and played a video recording of al Fayoumes mother Hanaan Shahin's 911 call on February 25. The court also heard testimony from Shahin. Czuba's defense attorneys argued that the prosecution's case was missing key pieces of evidence.[20] The prosecution submitted crime scene evidence on February 26, which included photos of al-Fayoume's body bag, a black knife holder and police body camera footage. The court also heard testimony from Czuba's former wife Mary Connor, police officers, firefighters and medical workers includingPlainfield firefighter and paramedic Brandon Vainowski and a physician's assistant with the pseudonym "Sally Smith."[21] Czuba waived his right to testify on February 27, and both prosecution and defense rested their cases that same day.[22]
On February 28, closing arguments were delivered, and after less than 90 minutes of deliberations, the jury convicted Czuba on all charges.[23] On May 2, Czuba was sentenced to 53 years in prison, 30 years for first degree murder, 20 years for attempted first degree murder, and three years for the hate crimes.[24]
Awrongful death lawsuit was filed on November 21, 2023, by Al-Fayoume's father against Czuba, his wife and their management company, claiming they "were indifferent and failed to recognize a threat and prevent serious bodily harm". A hearing for the court case was set for March 11, 2024.[25][14]
In June 2024, Shahin filed a similar wrongful death lawsuit against the same parties as well as the brother of Czuba, alleging that he worked in real estate and had introduced the rental opportunity to them despite being in a position where he ought to have known about Czuba's tendencies.[26]
A vigil for al-Fayoume was held shortly after his death at a local basketball court in Plainfield to mark his love for the sport. His father spoke to the crowd, calling his son an "All-American boy" who was always smiling and full of love, with other friends and family members speaking. The highest-ranking Muslim in the Biden administration,Dilawar Syed, also attended and spoke on behalf of the president.[27]
A fundraiser was organized throughLaunchGood to help cover funeral and medical expenses for al-Fayoume and his mother. A portion of the fundraiser would be sectioned off to provide safe and secure housing for Shahin, and another portion will be used to establish a charity in al-Fayoume's name.[8]
Shahin spent weeks recovering from her stab wounds. The funeral for al-Fayoume drew large crowd. Officials in Plainfield named a local park playground after al-Fayoume.[28] A memorial was unveiled on June 28, 2025.
On July 24, 2025, Czuba died in prison at the age of 73. His cause of death has not been determined, but prior to his death, he had stage 4 cancer.[29]
The attack prompted many public statements and condemnations, including from Illinois GovernorJ. B. Pritzker,[30] U.S. SenatorsTammy Duckworth[30] andDick Durbin,[30] theAnti-Defamation League,[1] and theCouncil on American–Islamic Relations.[9] U.S. presidentJoe Biden also condemned the attack in a public statement, saying that he and First LadyJill Biden felt "shocked and sickened" about the killing, adding that al-Fayoume's family "came to America seeking what we all seek—a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace."[31] TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, as well as the St. Mary Immaculate Parish of Plainfield, where the accused and his wife are parishioners, also made public statements condemning the event.[32] Rabbi Rosen ofTzedek Chicago denounced the killing and expressed concern that the attack stemmed from the continued dehumanization of Palestinians and Muslims. Similar comments were echoed by a volunteer with Chicago'sJewish Voices for Peace who cautioned the continuation ofanti-Semitism andIslamophobia.[33]
The attack, along with increasing violent threats,[34] have led many Palestinian Americans and other Muslims to cancel plans, made them monitor their speech and actions, and made them concerned about their safety and that of their family members.[34] A similar concern was seen by Jewish Americans, and security has been increased around mosques and synagogues across the country.[34]
As the war between Hamas and Israel unfolded in recent days, a Plainfield man became increasingly concerned about what he was hearing on conservative talk radio — and became agitated about the tenants living in his home, a Palestinian American mother and her young son, prosecutors said.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)In an email to OSV News, the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., said it had confirmed [the suspect] and his wife are members of St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield. St. Mary Immaculate's pastor, Father Pat Mulcahy, told OSV News by email that 'our hearts are absolutely broken, and ache for the family and all those affected.'
