Man convicted for hate crime murder of Palestinian-American boy

WASHINGTON - A jury on Friday convicted a man of murder for killing a six-year-old Palestinian-American child in the US state of Illinois, deeming the attack to be a hate crime.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted for stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoumi 26 times, as well as brutally attacking the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen, a week after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

The man, who was the family's landlord, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and two counts of a hate crime.

During the autopsy, a serrated military knife with a 15-cm (six-inch) blade was removed from the child's abdomen.

"Today's verdict delivers a measure of justice for Wadee Al-Fayoumi's family and sends a clear message that hate-fueled violence has no place here," said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

"We will never accept nor forget that a six-year-old child lost his life because of dangerous anti-Palestinian rhetoric."

The Palestinian-American family's lawyers welcomed the verdict but said it did not make up for the loss of the child's life.

"While we are relieved that his killer has been held accountable, we must continue to stand against the rising tide of hate that led to this senseless act," they said in a statement.

Sentencing for Czuba, who faces life imprisonment, was set for May 2.

Czuba, who has been in custody since the murder, had pleaded not guilty to all eight charges.

According to the Will County Sheriff's Office, the victims were targeted "due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."

Joe Biden, then the US president, had condemned the attack as a "horrific act of hate" that "has no place in America."