A 73-year-old landlord from Illinois, a state in the Midwestern United States (US), who was sentenced to 53 years in prison for the murder of a Palestinian boy has died while in prison custody.
Joseph Czuba was convicted in February 2025 of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and hate crime offences in connection with the brutal killing of Wadee Alfayoumi and the stabbing of the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.
The attack took place on October 14, 2023, shortly after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza Strip.
Czuba, reportedly enraged by the conflict, forced entry into the family’s home in Plainfield Township, around 40 miles southwest of Chicago. He strangled and repeatedly stabbed Shaheen with a military-style knife before turning the weapon on her son.
Wadee was stabbed 26 times and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Shaheen survived and managed to contact emergency services after fleeing to a bathroom.
According to a statement from the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Czuba died on Thursday, July 24, while in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Although an official cause of death has yet to be confirmed, he had reportedly been suffering from stage 4 cancer.
Reacting to the news, Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), said, “This depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.”
With inputs from Associated Press.
