Illinois landlord Joseph Czuba, 71, was accused of stabbing a six-year-old to death on Saturday, CBS News reported. He faced murder, attempted murder, aggravated violence, and hate crime charges.
The victims have been named by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago office as 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume, pictured below, and his hospitalized mother, Hanaan Shahin. (Source: CNN)
Landlord Stabs Mother and Child Because Being a Muslim
When the child’s mother called 911 at 11:38 a.m., the Will County Sheriff’s Office was concerned. According to the police statement, the 32-year-old mother fled to the lavatory and asked for aid because her landlord, Czuba, was threatening her with a knife. After arriving in southwest suburban Plainfield Township, deputies found the landlord Czuba sitting outside with a forehead wound. CBS News reported finding the two victims inside the house. The child, initially assumed to be eight years old, suffered 26 stab wounds, while the mother had more than a dozen, the site reported.
When the mother was hospitalized, the boy was critical. The police statement says the child died after medical attempts failed. The outlet said that Czuba was interrogated at the Will County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Complex after receiving medical treatment. He was hospitalized and released. Czuba allegedly refused to speak to authorities, but they believe he targeted the victims because of their Muslim faith, a hate crime inspired by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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