Vigil held for slain Palestinian boy as accused killer appears in court on hate crime charges
CHICAGO (CBS)-- As the landlord accused of killing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and stabbing his mother in an alleged hate crime last year was back in court on Wednesday, family and supporters of the victims held a vigil in the boy's honor.
Joseph Czuba, 71, appeared in front of a Will County judge on Wednesday morning, as prosecutors work toward a March court date for pretrial motions and discovery.
Czuba has been indicted on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, and two counts of hate crime, in the October stabbing death of 6-year-old Wadee Al Fayoumi and the attack on his mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin.
He has pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Will County Jail as he awaits trial.
Prosecutors have said Czuba stabbed Wadee 26 times, and stabbed his mother more than a dozen times because of their religion and nationality.
Authorities have said Czuba targeted the victims because of their Muslim faith, and because of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Will County prosecutors have said Czuba wanted Shahin and her son to move out of the home they rented from him in Plainfield Township, and believed he and his wife "were in danger," because he feared Shahin "was going to call over her Palestinian friends or family to harm them."
Shahin told detectives that, on Oct. 14, Czuba knocked on her door, and the two of them got into an argument over the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the charges. Czuba told Shahin "he was angry at her for what was going on in Jerusalem," prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
When Czuba attacked Shahin with a knife, she ran to the bathroom to call 911, but was unable to get her son into the bathroom with her. While she was in the bathroom, prosecutors said Czuba killed her son.
Wadee's father requested a vigil for his son before Czuba's court appearance on Wednesday. Speaking alongside an interpreter, he asked the community to honor his son's memory by standing together.
"He was targeted because of his faith, because he was Muslim, and that is something we must confront as a society. Islamophobia and hatred towards Muslims and Palestinians has no place in our community. Let his life inspire us to reject bigotry, and to embrace the diversity that makes our nation so beautiful," Wadee's father said through an interpreter. "We will not rest until justice is served for my son. We will work tirelessly with law enforcement to ensure that Joseph Czuba is held responsible to the maximum amount under the law for this horrific act. Wadee deserves nothing less than that."
Czuba is due back in court in March. Prosecutors said, by then, they hope to receive discovery of evidence being gathered by the U.S. Attorney's office. The Justice Department opened an investigation into the killing in October.
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