Court documents detail moments before 6-year-old Muslim boy was fatally stabbed: 'Let’s pray for peace'

The suburban Chicago landlord accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother had a "hatred of Muslims" and targeted the family in response to the Israel-Hamas war, according to new court documents.

Joseph Czuba, 71, appeared in court Monday and was formally charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. A judge ordered Czuba to be held without bail and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for October 30.

Will County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian-American boy who recently turned 6, and his mother, Haanan Shahin, 32, with severe injuries Saturday morning at a residence in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.

The boy was stabbed at least 26 times and was pronounced dead at a hospital. His mother, who was stabbed at least a dozen times, survived and revealed the moments leading up to the violent attack to authorities.

Court documents filed Monday said the day "started out normal with breakfast and (Shahin) thought everything was fine."

But within hours, Czuba aggressively confronted Shahin about the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza. After proposing that they "pray for peace," Shahin said Czuba then attacked her with a knife, according to the documents.

The incident has drawn national attention and condemnation from public officials and advocates. The Justice Department opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the attack, with Attorney General Merrick warning the incident would raise fears among Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities.

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'He was angry at her for what was going on in Jerusalem'

Shahin told investigators that she rents two rooms on the first floor of the Plainfield Township home while Czuba and his wife live on the second floor, according to court documents. The mother and boy had lived at the residence for two years.

On the day of the attack, Shahin said the day started out normal. But right before she had called the police, Czuba knocked on her bedroom door and began arguing about the Israel-Hamas war.

"He was angry at her for what was going on in Jerusalem," the documents state. "She responded to him, 'Let’s pray for peace.' ... Czuba then attacked her with a knife."

Shahin was able to get away from Czuba after the initial attack and locked herself in a nearby bathroom, the documents added. At the time, Wadea was in his bedroom and Shahin was not able to get him.

Responding deputies found Wadea unresponsive "laying on a bed on his back shirtless with multiple stab wounds to the chest and what appeared to be a knife inserted" into his abdomen, according to the documents.

The officers then encountered Czuba in the backyard with a cut on his forehead. A knife holster was found on Czuba's waist belt and several pocketknives were also located next to his feet, the documents added.

Shahin told investigators that she was texting Czuba’s wife, Mary, about his "hatred of Muslims" before the day of the attack, the documents state. Czuba’s wife told investigators that her husband feared they would be attacked by people of Middle Eastern descent and had withdrawn $1,000 from a bank "in case the U.S. grid went down."

Mary also noted that her husband listened to a "conservative talk radio on a regular basis" and had been "heavily" interested in the recent events in Israel, according to court documents.

A few days before the attack, Czuba told his wife that he wanted Shahin and Wadea to move out of the home, saying he "believed that they were in danger and that (Shahin) was going to call over her Palestinian friends or family to harm them."

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Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press