(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The man accused of killing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and seriously wounding his mother in Plainfield made an appearance in court Monday.
Not guilty. That’s how 71-year-old Joseph Czuba pleaded to murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and hate crime charges.
Prosecutors with the Justice Department said Czuba confronted two of his tenants — Hanaan Shahin, 32, and her son Wadea Al-Fayoume — over the Israel-Hamas war Oct. 14.
Investigators said Shahin urged Czuba to “pray for peace” before he stabbed her more than a dozen times and fatally stabbed Wadea 26 times.
As Shahin has continued recovering from her stab wounds, hundreds of people attended her son’s funeral on Oct. 16. Wadea was remembered as an energetic boy who loved playing games.
The boy’s father and other family members attended the hearing. They declined to speak to reporters.
Czuba told police he was very interested in the ongoing Middle East conflict, had been listening to conservative talk radio and feared he and his wife were in danger.
An attorney representing Czuba expressed concerns over finding an impartial jury and noted that President Joe Biden has publicly commented on the case.
Czuba remains behind bars at the Will County Jail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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