Police: Illinois man charged with killing two Muslim tenants

A Plainfield, Illinois, man stabbed a 6-year-old boy to death and seriously injured a 32-year-old woman after targeting them because they were Muslim and the man was upset about the ongoing conflict involving Hamas and Israel, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.

Joseph Czuba, 71, of Plainfield, was charged with first -degree murder, attempted first -degree murder, two counts of hate crimes and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The stabbing occurred shortly before noon Saturday at a residence in the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway in Unincorporated Plainfield Township.

A woman had reportedly called 911 saying she was in the bathroom defending herself from her landlord as he attacked her with a knife, police said.

Law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene found Czuba sitting outside on the ground near the driveway, with a laceration to his forehead, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies then located the victims in a bedroom inside the residence. Both had multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso and upper body. Police initially reported the boy was 8 years old but were later able to determine he was 6 years old. The boy was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.

After a Sunday autopsy, a forensic pathologist determined the boy had been stabbed 26 times, police said.

The Will County Coroner’s Office Laurie H. Summers said in a statement Sunday that the boy was pronounced dead at 12:19 p.m. at Ascension St. Josephs Medical Center in Joliet. An autopsy was performed on Sunday, the coroner’s office said in the statement.

On Saturday, the 32-year-old woman was transported in serious condition with over a dozen stab wounds to a hospital where she was recovering from her injuries and is expected to survive, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.

After being treated and released from a hospital, Czuba was transported to the Will County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Complex for questioning. The sheriff’s office said that, even though he did not make any statements regarding the attack, detectives were able to gather enough information through interviews to charge Czuba.

Czuba has been transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility and is awaiting his initial court appearance, the sheriff’s office said.

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