SOPHIA TAREEN
Associated Press
Joliet, Ill. (AP) — The trial of a suburban Chicago landlord accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in a 2023 attack on a Palestinian American woman and her young son is set to start Tuesday.
Joseph Czuba, 73, is charged in the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of Hanan Shaheen on Oct. 14, 2023. Authorities said the family was targeted because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with a Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Opening statements start Tuesday morning in a trial that is expected to last about a week.
Czuba has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and other charges. His defense attorney, George Lenard, declined to comment before the end of the trial.
The proceedings come amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.
Prosecutors allege Czuba became increasing paranoid about the war because of listening to commentary on conservative talk radio.
