Hate-crime killer of Palestinian-American boy dies behind prison bars

A bigoted landlord sentenced to decades in prison after he killed a Palestinian-American boy and wounded his mother has died.

Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges in the death of six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.

Wadee Alfayoumi, 6, was stabbed to death in Chicago in October 2023. Photo: Family

Czuba, 73, targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Czuba died last Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Evidence at trial included testimony from Ms Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with photos and police video of a bloody crime scene. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before reaching a verdict.

The family had been renting rooms in Czuba’s home in Plainfield, about 64km south-west of Chicago, when the attack happened.

Ms Shaheen said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police video.

Czuba’s wife, Mary, whom he had divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier.

Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in his body. Some of the crime scene photos were so graphic that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the public gallery, which included Wadee’s relatives.

The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee’s funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honour.

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Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)