PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ill. – A heinous hate crime has deeply shaken the community of Plainfield Township.
Details released Sunday unveil the brutal stabbing attack on a Muslim woman and her son Saturday, allegedly rooted in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
Upon officers’ arrival, they found the 32-year-old woman and her six-year-old son, who was initially misidentified as eight, critically wounded. The young boy, heartbreakingly stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife, succumbed to his injuries at St. Joesph’s Hospital in Joliet.
The alleged attacker, Joseph M. Czuba, 71, was charged with First Degree Murder, Attempted First Degree Murder, two counts of Hate Crime, and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon. The targeted assault appears to be motivated by the victims’ Muslim identity.
While the community grapples with this senseless act of violence, Czuba awaits his initial court appearance in the Will County Adult Detention Facility. The Will County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office for their integral role in the case.
