U.S. Court Sentences Killer of Palestinian-American Child Wadee Alfayoumi to 53 Years in Prison
Illinois (Quds News Network)- A U.S. court has sentenced 73-year-old Joseph Czuba to 53 years in prison for the brutal murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American boy Wadee Alfayoumi and the attempted murder of his mother.
Wadee was stabbed 26 times in a hate-fueled attack inside his family’s rented home in Plainfield, Illinois—just weeks after the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in 2023. His mother was stabbed over a dozen times but survived to tell the world what happened.
The court found Czuba guilty of first-degree murder and hate crimes. He had targeted the family simply because they were Muslim and Palestinian. He didn’t speak in court. He didn’t apologize. The jury took less than 90 minutes to convict him.
Wadee’s mother gave a harrowing testimony. She described how Czuba, their landlord, forced his way into their home. She spoke of the pain, the screams, and the horror of watching her son die in front of her.
Prosecutors revealed that Czuba had become angry and hateful after watching mainstream media news about the genocide in Gaza. His former wife told the court he grew consumed by rage. On the day of the attack, he brought a knife, attacked the mother, and then turned it on little Wadee. “If it wasn’t enough that this defendant killed that little boy,” said the prosecutor, “he left the knife in his body.”
Photos from the crime scene shocked the courtroom. Police found Czuba outside the house, his body and hands drenched in blood.
The murder sent shockwaves through the Palestinian-American community and beyond. It wasn’t just a crime. It was a hate crime—a terrifying reminder of rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestine sentiment in the U.S. due to Israel’s incitement.
