US man who killed Palestinian-American boy dies in prison

July 28, 2025

Joseph Czuba, a 73-year-old Illinois landlord convicted of murdering six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea al-Fayoume and attempting to murder the boy's mother Hanaan Shaheen, has died in custody after serving less than three months of his 53-year sentence. The attack, which occurred in October 2023 at Czuba's property in Plainfield where the victims rented rooms, was determined to be a hate crime targeting the family for their Islamic faith shortly after the Israel-Gaza war began. During the attack, Czuba reportedly told Shaheen "you, as a Muslim, must die" before stabbing the child 26 times.

Who is affected

Wadea al-Fayoume (the murdered six-year-old Palestinian-American boy)
Hanaan Shaheen (the boy's mother who was severely wounded)
The Palestinian community in Plainfield
Muslim and Palestinian-American communities across the US who face discrimination
Joseph Czuba's family (by extension)

What action is being taken

A memorial for Wadea al-Fayoume has been unveiled at a playground in Plainfield
The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office is continuing to speak out about anti-Muslim hate
The Illinois Department of Corrections is presumably investigating Czuba's cause of death

Why it matters

The case highlighted and renewed fears of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian discrimination in the United States
The hate crime occurred in the context of the Israel-Gaza war, showing how international conflicts can spark domestic violence
The attack targeted a child and his mother specifically for their religious identity
The case received national attention across the US
The crime affected a well-established Palestinian community in Plainfield

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC