Murder trial to begin for Illinois man charged in fatal stabbing of Palestinian American boy
The trial for the Illinois man charged in the fatal 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in what prosecutors call a hate crime is set to begin in Will County on Monday.
The trial for the Illinois man charged in the fatal 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in what prosecutors call a hate crime is set to begin in Will County on Monday.
Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoume to death and seriously injuring the boy's mother, Hanaan Shahin, 32. He has been charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and hate crime in connection with the attack.
Czuba pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2023. He was ordered detained until trial.
Joseph Czuba, second from right, stands with his attorneys during his arraignment at the Will County courthouse in Joliet, Ill., on Oct. 30, 2023.Charles Rex Arbogast / AP fileWadea was stabbed 26 times and died in the hospital. Shahin was seriously injured after she was stabbed more than a dozen times as she called for help and tried to protect her son, investigators have said.
The stabbings occurred on Oct. 14, 2023, days after the Hamas attack on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed around 250 taken hostage, according to the country’s officials. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave.
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