Joseph Czuba, the 73-year-old man sentenced to 53 years in prison after he brutally stabbed Palestinian American boy Wadee Alfayoumi to death, has died while incarcerated. He was in custody of the Illinois corrections department at the time of his death. Czuba’s death comes on the heels of another high-profile case. It sparked renewed awareness of the rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in the US amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In October 2023, Czuba followed up that previous attack by brutally attacking and sexually assaulting Hanan Shaheen—Alfayoumi’s mother—and then purposely hunting down her 6-year-old son, Abdullah, in another room. The fatal assault took place in Czuba’s home in Plainfield, Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. During the assault, Czuba stabbed the child, Wadee Alfayoumi, 26 times, before leaving the knife in her body. Shaheen escaped the attack with over a dozen stab wounds.
Czuba was criminally charged with premeditated murder and attempted murder, along with additional charges for his hateful and targeted attack against Muslims. He was convicted in February 2024, with jurors taking fewer than 90 minutes to deliberate before coming back with their guilty verdict. At trial, testimony showed that Czuba had become increasingly angry with Shaheen and her son. He curtly announced that it was time for them to leave because “Muslims were not allowed.” He then took to ramping up his threats, stating to Shaheen, “You should die as a Muslim.”
Mary Czuba, Joseph’s former wife, went to the stand for the prosecution. She shared how her husband had become more and more frustrated over the US/Middle East situation. After the incident and trial, Mary Czuba divorced Joseph Czuba.
As it turned out, the case attracted tremendous media attention. It further exacerbated concerns about the increasing bias towards Muslim communities in the United States, particularly after the start of the Israel and Hamas war in October 2023. Ahmed Rehab, an advocate for Muslim rights, commented on the implications of Czuba’s actions and their aftermath:
“This depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.” – Ahmed Rehab