Mother of Palestinian boy fatally stabbed in Will County files suit against alleged killer

Joseph Czuba, 72, is currently awaiting trial in the Will County Adult Detention Center for allegedly stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoume 26 times and seriously injuring her mother, Hanaan Shahin, due to anger over the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.

In the days between Hamas' initial attack on Israel and the October 14 attack in unincorporated Plainfield, Czuba reportedly took a “strong interest” in the conflict through conservative radio and allegedly targeted the two men because they were Muslim and Palestinian, according to Will County. Sheriff's Office.

Wadea's death drew condemnation from elected officials across the state and country. President Joe Biden named him in a national address shortly after his death, and federal authorities opened an investigation into the attack shortly after it occurred.

Shahin's attorney, John Simon, said the lawsuit, filed late last month in Will County Circuit Court, was delayed because of the ongoing federal hate crimes investigation and which limited certain discoveries.

“We are happy to be able to find out what made this man do this and who knew about it,” he said. “This was a racially and religiously motivated incident and anyone who had the capacity to stop it should have intervened. »

The complaint accuses Czuba's wife, Mary Czuba, and his brother, Daniel Czuba, of failing to warn Shahin that Czuba “held extreme and violent thoughts and opinions toward Palestinians and Muslims, including Hanaan and Wadea Al -Fayoume, and presented a predictable risk of attack.” physical damage to Hanaan Shahin and Wadea Al-Fayoume.

The lawsuit also accuses Czuba himself of wrongful death and battery and names his and his brother's rental companies as defendants.

The 39-page complaint says Shahin identified the rental property through Daniel Czuba and moved there about two years before the attack. According to the complaint, Joseph Czuba spoke to his tenants several times during the week between the start of the war and the attack to tell them that he hated Muslims. When Shahin told Mary Czuba about these interactions, Mary Czuba allegedly assured him that she and Wadea were safe.

Czuba also allegedly asked Shahin and his son to leave the house and told Mary Czuba that he feared Shahin's “Palestinian friends” would harm them approximately three days before the attack.

According to the complaint, Czuba first attacked Shahin while she was giving Wadea a bath and returned to stab Wadea after she called 911 and before authorities arrived. The last words Shahin heard his son say were “oh no,” the complaint states.

Simon said if the jury found the case in Shahin's favor, it would be up to them to determine how much damages he would be awarded. The public defender representing Czuba in the criminal proceedings did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.

Czuba's next criminal court date is June 14 at 9:30 a.m., according to Will County sheriff's records.