Will County judge upholds 53-year prison sentence in Plainfield Township hate crime murder case

A Will County judge stood by her prison sentence for a former Plainfield Township landlord convicted of the 2023 hate crime murder of a Muslim child.

On Wednesday, Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak denied a motion to reconsider her sentence for Joseph Czuba, 73, whom a jury found guilty earlier this year of killing 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi.

The jury also found Czuba guilty of attempting to kill the child’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.

Prosecutors said Czuba’s anti-Muslim fears over the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel drove him to attack the mother and child with a knife.

Wadee was stabbed to death 26 times.

Czuba has requested to file an appeal in his case, according to Wednesday’s court docket.

Czuba’s attorney, George Lenard, filed a motion May 5 that asked Bertani-Tomczak to reconsider the 53-year prison sentence she imposed on Czuba three days before.

Lenard’s motion contended that Czuba’s “sentences in this case are excessive.”

“The sentences imposed are not in keeping with the defendant’s past history or criminality, mental history, family situation, military background, economic status, education or personal habits,” according to Lenard’s motion.

As with Lenard’s motion to overturn the verdict, the motion asking for a lower prison sentence is a standard motion that is filed after a defendant is convicted of a crime.

Czuba was sentenced to serve 100% of a 30-year prison sentence for Wadee’s murder, 85% of a 20-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of Shaheen and 50% of a three-year prison sentence for committing a hate crime.

Czuba also was credited with 571 days already served in jail.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed against Czuba has a court date of July 14.

Shaheen is suing Czuba, his ex-wife Mary Connor and a company tied to the property where Shaheen and her son were residing as tenants.