Wadea Al-Fayoume of Plainfield Township, Will County, Illinois, United States has died. He was 6.
Al-Fayoume is the son of Oday Al-Fayoume and Hanaan Shahin, 32, who are Muslim and Palestinian American. Shahin moved to the U.S. in 2011.
On October 6, 2017, Shahin gave birth to Wadea in the U.S. In 2021, they started living in a rented room on the ground floor of the house of Joseph M. Czuba, 71, in Plainfield Township.
On October 7, 2023, the militant group Hamas attacked Israel. On the morning of October 14, 2023, Czuba allegedly went to Shahin and Wadea’s room and yelled, “You Muslims must die!”
Using a 12-inch military-style knife, Czuba allegedly stabbed Shahin and Wadea. The mother managed to fight off the landlord and call 911.
Shahin had at least 12 stab wounds and is expected to survive. Wadea had 26 stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
When Will County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to Czuba’s residence in Plainfield Township, they found him sitting upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence with a cut on his forehead. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility in Joliet, Illinois.
Czuba was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of hate crimes. He is awaiting a court appearance.
CONAN Daily 