Illinois man charged with slaying Muslim boy in hate crime pleads not guilty

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- An Illinois landlord accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and attacking his mother due to their Muslim faith has pleaded not guilty to murder and hate crime charges, his lawyer said Monday.

Joseph Czuba, 71, of Plainfield Township, Ill., entered not guilty pleas to eight counts, including three counts of first-degree murder, during an appearance at Will County Court in Joliet, Ill., public defender George Lenard told reporters.

"As you know, our client is presumed to be not guilty of all charges, and we are going to do the best we can to protect all of his constitutional rights and make sure he receives a fair trial by an impartial jury," Lenard said outside the courtroom following the hearing.

In addition to the first-degree murder charges in the brutal stabbing death of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume on Oct. 14, Czuba is charged with stabbing his mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, more than a dozen times in the commission of a hate crime.

Authorities said Czuba, who was leasing part of his home to the Palestinian immigrant family, was enraged by the actions of the militant group Hamas and its bloody assault against Israel, which had occurred a week prior to the attack.

At Monday's hearing, prosecutors said Czuba's wife told them her husband had become "obsessed" with the war between Israel and Hamas and wanted the Palestinian family to move out, saying his fears were stoked by listening to conservative talk radio, WGN-TV reported.

The slaying of the young boy was particularly heinous, they argued, noting that he was stabbed 26 times.

Will County Judge David Carlson ordered Czuba to remain in pre-trial detention despite pleas by Lenard for his release, citing the suspect's lack of a criminal record and his status a veteran.

The Justice Department and the FBI announced shortly after Czuba's arrest they are looking into the possibility of filing federal hate crime charges against the Illinois man.