Man accused of hate crimes in fatal stabbing of Muslim boy, 6, wounding of mother

PLAINFIELD, Ill. — An Illinois man is accused of a hate crime after allegedly stabbing a 6-year-old boy to death and seriously injuring his mother, authorities said Saturday.

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According to a news release from the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph M. Czuba, 71, of Plainfield, was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of committing a hate crime.

Detectives with the sheriff’s office said they were able to determine that both victims were allegedly targeted by Czuba because of their Muslim faith and the ongoing war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas militants, WGN-TV reported.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to a residence in unincorporated Plainfield at about 11:38 a.m. EDT regarding a stabbing involving a landlord and renter.

Deputies arriving at the scene discovered Czuba sitting upright in a driveway near the residence. He had a laceration on his forehead and was taken to an area hospital for treatment, WFLD-TV reported.

Deputies located the two victims inside the residence in a bedroom suffering from multiple stab wounds, the sheriff’s office said.

The woman, 32, was suffering from more than a dozen stab wounds and was taken to an area hospital in serious condition. The sheriff’s office said she is expected to survive.

The 6-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition and was later pronounced dead from his injuries, WBBM-TV reported.

Their names have not been released. WLS-TV and WLFD reported that the boy’s name was Wadea Al-Fayoume.

According to an autopsy conducted on Sunday, the child was stabbed 26 times with a 12-inch serrated military-style weapon that had a 7-inch blade, the sheriff’s office said. A forensic pathologist removed the knife from the abdomen of the boy.

Czuba allegedly did not make any statements to deputies about his alleged involvement in the attack, but authorities said they were able to gather enough evidence to formally charge him, WGN reported.

Czuba was transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility and is awaiting his initial court appearance, according to the sheriff’s office.

Trinity Jasnicka, a neighbor to the victims, told WLS she was shocked about the incident.

“I’ve never heard or seen something this tragic happen,” said Jasnicka, who said she has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years. “We were just coming down the road, saw the tape and (were) just speechless for a second until we heard what happened. It’s tragic, for sure.”