Jury chosen for Plainfield Township hate crime murder trial

Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday for the trial of a former Plainfield Township landlord who was charged with the 2023 killing of a 6-year-old boy based on his Islamic beliefs.

A panel of 12 jurors and three alternate jurors were chosen on Monday to decide the fate of Joseph Czuba, 73, who is charged with attempting to kill his tenant, Hanan Shaheen, and killing her child, Wadee Alfayoumi, by stabbing him to death 26 times.

The jurors were picked from a pool of more than 50 candidates. During jury selection, prospective jurors were taken to another room outside public view for a private meeting with attorneys and Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

All 12 jurors and two of the three alternate jurors said they’ve heard of the case but they did not publicly explain their level of familiarity.

One of the jurors who was chosen told Bertani-Tomczak, “I only read the headline.”

Czuba’s case has attracted international attention after it became known that his alleged motive behind the attack on Wadee and his mother was based on his hatred of Muslims and his anger over the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden had condemned the killing of Wadee and a federal hate crime investigation was launched. As of Monday, there’s been no word from the FBI or U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago on the status of that investigation.

Joseph Milburn, staff attorney for the Chicago branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., spoke to the media outside the courthouse on Monday on behalf of the victims' family.

The trial against Czuba may finish witness testimony by Friday or next Tuesday at the latest.

Czuba was in court wearing a a blue tie and a tan-colored suit. His hair was tied back into a ponytail and he had a slight goatee. He told the prospective jurors, “Good morning,” when asked to do so by his attorney George Lenard.

Bertani-Tomczak ordered the media not to take any photos or videos for the duration of the trial.

Lenard raised concerns about prosecutors playing body camera video footage to the jury that shows Wadee’s body. He said showing the video with the child’s body would be disrespectful to his family and anyone in the courtroom could take photos to distribute them worldwide.

Both parties agreed on playing the video on a portable TV that could only be viewed by the jury.

Czuba is facing three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime, two counts of aggravated battery, and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

The murder of Wadee was “accompanied by exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty,” according to the indictment.

The charges were the result of a Will County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the incident that was reported at 11:38 a.m. Oct. 14, 2023, in the 16000 block of South Lincoln Highway in Plainfield Township.

Hanan and Wadee had been living as tenants in Czuba’s house since 2021, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed over the case.

Attorneys for Hanan alleged in the lawsuit she was giving her son a bath when Czuba knocked on the door.

When Hanan opened the door, Czuba “attacked Hanan and a struggle ensued,” and Czuba then stabbed Hanan, the lawsuit alleged.

Czuba then “left the rental space” and Hanan “shut the door” and called 911 but Czuba returned before police could arrive, the lawsuit alleged.

Czuba “broke and/or barged through the door,” and attacked Wadee by stabbing him, the lawsuit alleged.

“Hanan was never able to check on, or see, Wadee because of her critical medical condition and injuries,” the lawsuit alleged.

Czuba’s wife, Mary Czuba, who filed for divorce after the incident, told police her husband listened to conservative talk radio regularly, according to prosecutors.

His ex-wife said Czuba was fearful that Hanan was going to call over her Palestinian friends and family to harm them, prosecutors said. Czuba was concerned about a “National Day of Jihad” occurring the day before the killing of Wadee, prosecutors said.