Overview

• In February, a jury convicted Czuba of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and hate crime for the October 2023 stabbing that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and seriously injured his mother, Hanan Shaheen.
• A judge sentenced him in May to 53 years behind bars for the fatal attack and related charges.
• Prosecutors said Czuba targeted the Palestinian American family because of their Muslim faith and anger over the Israel-Hamas war, stabbing Wadee more than two dozen times.
• Leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other advocates have urged lawmakers to strengthen hate crime legislation in response to the case.
• Plainfield officials and community members have held vigils and dedicated a playground in Wadee’s memory to combat anti-Muslim discrimination.