Illinois Man Gets 53 Years for Fatal Attack on 6-Year-Old Child

An Illinois man has been sentenced to 53 years in prison for the horrific, racially motivated murder of a 6-year-old-boy who was a Palestinian American.

Not only did he murder the boy, but the man also brutally attacked his mother, as well.

The mother was stabbed more than a dozen times at the time of the attacking Plainfield Township.  This all took place days after the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.

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The 73-year-old man, Joseph Czuba had been renting a room to the family and told the mother, "your people" are killing Jewish people and babies in Israel.  He also told her that Muslims were not welcome in his home.  Witnesses shared that Czuba had been launching anti-Muslim rants shortly after surprise attacks into Israel by Hamas-led militant groups in 2023.

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He got 30 years for Wadee's killing and 20 years for attacking the mother.  Plus, 3 more years for a hate crime.  All of the sentences he was given are running consecutively.

Wadee's great uncle, Mahmous Yousef, told court that no sentence could bring the boy back, and his father had many hopes and dreams for Wadee.  Yousef looks directly at Czuba and says, "He had no right to take them."

The boy’s father Odai Alfayoumi, echoed that thought, saying the killer had always seemed to like his son before suddenly snapping.

“This is America and when I came right here, I came because this is a free country,” Alfayoumi told reporters outside the courthouse. [nbcnews]

The jury found Czuba guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and committing hate crimes on October 14th, 2023.  He had no family to represent or support him during the sentencing.

Watch more about this story here.