By Erika Hernandez
30 Oct 2023, 1:47 PM EDT
A man charged with murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack that seriously injured a Palestinian-American woman and claimed the life of her 6-year-old son pleaded not guilty in court Monday, following his indictment for part of an Illinois Grand Jury last week.
Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoume 26 times and her mother, Hanaan Shahin, 32, more than a dozen.
Czuba’s public defender, George Lenard, pleaded not guilty Monday. Czuba, wearing a red prison jumpsuit, stood at a lectern as Judge David Carlson read the eight-count indictment. Czuba kept his eyes down throughout much of the hearing, even as Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald argued against his release.
Oday Al-Fayoume, Wadea’s father, was in court listening attentively to the proceedings. Shahin was not present.
Carlson granted the prosecution’s request that Czuba remain in custody.
“I believe there are no less restrictive conditions … that would alleviate this court’s current concerns,” Carlson said.
Carlson said he would be remiss if he didn’t note that Czuba was a Level 2 risk, citing the pretrial investigation report. That risk is “pretty low,” Carlson said. Still, he said, there was nothing in the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Equity and Equity Act-Today or SAFE-T Act that would alleviate public concerns.
Prosecutors have said Czuba targeted the couple because of their Muslim faith amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Czuba was indicted Thursday by a grand jury.
Czuba only spoke at the end of the hearing, when the judge asked him if he understood he could appeal his arrest. He replied, “Yes, sir.”
Before the hearing, Carlson asked that Wadea’s family not be photographed.
Czuba had rented rooms in his home in Plainfield Township, about 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, to Shahin. She told authorities that Czuba attacked her with a serrated knife that had a seven-inch blade “because of the conflict in Jerusalem” and that days before the stabbing, Czuba confronted her about what was happening in the Middle East, according to documents. judicial.
Authorities have said Czuba’s wife told investigators that Czuba had become obsessed with the war between Hamas and Israel.
Last week, Shahin was released from the hospital and issued her first public statements since the October 14 attack. She said she does not harbor any hatred and believes in pursuing justice. She remembered Wadea, whose funeral was attended by hundreds of people, as an angel on earth and said she was her best friend. She asked the public to “pray for peace.”
Czuba is due in court on Jan. 8 before Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.
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