Murder of Wadea al-Fayoume

On October 14, 2023, at around 11:30 a.m., landlord Joseph Czuba, then 71, went to the Plainfield Township, Illinois home of his tenant, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin. According to the Will County Sheriff's Office, Shahin told detectives Czuba was angry about events in Jerusalem and, after she answered the door, throttled her while yelling "You Muslims must die." When she responded "let's give peace a chance," Czuba attacked her with a military knife. Shahin scratched him, fled to the bathroom, and called 9-1-1. When she emerged, she found her six-year-old son, Wadea al-Fayoume, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Both were taken to a hospital, where al-Fayoume was pronounced dead and Shahin was treated in critical condition. Responding officers found Czuba sitting outside the home with a cut on his face.

Authorities said the attack was motivated by anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian extremism following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023. Czuba's wife said he regularly listened to conservative talk radio, feared a "national day of jihad" would occur, and worried his tenants would have Palestinian friends come to harm him and his wife. His wife filed for divorce in December 2023.

Czuba was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and two counts of hate crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI separately opened federal hate crime investigations into the attack in October 2023. Czuba's trial began February 24, 2025, in Will County, where he was represented by public defender George D. Lenard. The court heard testimony from Shahin, Czuba's former wife Mary Connor, police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel, and viewed crime scene evidence including body camera footage. Czuba waived his right to testify. On February 28, 2025, after less than 90 minutes of deliberation, a jury convicted him on all charges. On May 2, 2025, he was sentenced to 53 years in prison: 30 years for first-degree murder, 20 years for attempted first-degree murder, and three years for the hate crimes.

Separately, civil wrongful death lawsuits were filed against Czuba, his wife, and their property management company — first by al-Fayoume's father in November 2023, and later by Shahin in June 2024, which also named Czuba's brother, alleging he had introduced the rental arrangement despite knowing of Czuba's tendencies.

The killing prompted condemnations from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, the Anti-Defamation League, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, President Joe Biden, and religious leaders including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet and a rabbi from Tzedek Chicago. A vigil was held at a Plainfield basketball court, and a LaunchGood fundraiser was organized for funeral and medical costs, housing for Shahin, and a charity in al-Fayoume's name. A local park playground was later named after him, with a memorial unveiled on June 28, 2025. Czuba, who had stage 4 cancer, died in prison on July 24, 2025, at age 73; his cause of death has not been determined.