An American man who fatally stabbed a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy and injured his mother in October 2023, has been sentenced to 53 years in jail, media reports said.
Police had earlier linked the attack to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas group in the Middle East since October 7, 2023.
Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted in February for murder and hate crimes for the death of Wadee Alfayoumi, and the wounding of his mother Hanan Shaheen, reported BBC.
The family was staying in Czuba’s residence, located in Plainfield, as tenants.
Despite Czuba pleading not guilty, jurors convicted him after deliberating for less than 90 minutes.
During the hearing, the convict did not speak on his own behalf.
The trial included testimony from Alfayoumi’s mother, who described the encounter in harrowing detail, and from Czuba’s now ex-wife, who said he had grown agitated by the war, BBC reported.
The prosecutor was quoted as saying by BBC that Joseph Czuba stabbed the mother over a dozen times before stabbing the minor 26 times.
The minor had celebrated his sixth birthday just a few days before his death.
ouncil on American-Islamic Relations reacts
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, said in a statement: “No sentence can restore what was taken, but today’s outcome delivers a necessary measure of justice.”
Rehab said: “Wadee was an innocent child. He was targeted because of who he was—Muslim, Palestinian, and loved. Our work now is to ensure that no other child suffers from the deadly consequences of hate. As we speak, boys and girls, just like Wadee, are mass murdered weekly in Gaza.”
The incident had drawn national attention in 2023.
Former President Joe Biden had described the killing of the minor as ‘horrific’.
In a statement, Biden, who was serving as the President that time, said: “This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are.”
