JOLIET, Illinois — A man charged with murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in the attack on a Palestinian American woman and her young son pleaded not guilty Monday following his indictment by an Illinois grand jury.
Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of stabbing 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume to death and injuring Hanaan Shahin on Oct. 14.
Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith and in response to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Shahin told police that Czuba, his landlord in Plainfield in Will County, was upset about the war and attacked them after he urged him to “pray for peace.”
Czuba appeared in court Monday wearing a red prison uniform, socks and yellow rubber slippers.
His lawyer George Lenard entered a not guilty plea after the judge read the eight-count indictment.
Czuba did not speak, looking at the podium with his hands folded behind his back as he stood before the judge in court in Joliet, 50 miles southwest of Chicago.
Shahin, 32, is recovering from several stab wounds.
Joseph Czuba, 71, pleaded not guilty to killing 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and wounding the child’s mother Hanaan Shahin in a single stabbing. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Czuba allegedly attacked the Palestinian mother and son in response to Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Facebook / Hanan A Shaheen
Hundreds of people attended his son’s funeral on October 16 where he was remembered as an energetic boy who loved to play games. He recently had a birthday.
The child’s father and other family members attended the hearing. They refused to speak to reporters.
The murder charge in the indictment against Czuba describes the boy’s death as the result of “extremely cruel or heinous conduct.” The attack on the family — which renewed anti-Islam fears in the Chicago area’s large and well-established Palestinian community — drew condemnation from the White House.
Czuba will remain in custody until his next court hearing in January.AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Wadea Oday Al-Fayoume’s father leaves the Will County courthouse after the hearing.AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Czuba is Fayoume and Shahin’s landlord. CAIR/Hadout via REUTERS
Judge David Carlson ruled that Czuba will remain in custody while he awaits a Jan. 8 court hearing.
In arguing to keep Czuba in custody, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald said Czuba was a danger to Shahin and others.
“We also believe he threatens the safety of the community,” he said.
Czuba’s attorney disagreed, citing Czuba’s age and the fact that he is a veteran with no criminal convictions.
Mourners carry Wadea’s casket at her funeral in LaGrange, Illinois, on October 16, 2023. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images
Lenard and Fitzgerald declined to comment to reporters after the hearing.
Shahin asked people to “pray for peace” and said his son was his best friend in a statement released last week through the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago.
The attack comes amid heightened hostility towards Muslim and Jewish communities in the US since Hamas attacked Israel.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
