6-Year-Old Palestinian-American Boy Fatally Stabbed By 71-Year-Old Landlord

An Illinois landlord is facing numerous charges after he brutally murdered a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy and left his mother severely injured in what authorities are calling a hate crime.

Joseph M. Czuba, 71, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Authorities said that Czuba stabbed Wadea Al Fayoume 26 times while stabbing his mother, Hanaan Shahin, over a dozen times. When paramedics arrived, they rushed Wadea and his mother to hospital. Wadea was pronounced dead. Shahin is expected to make a full recovery.

Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement saying the Department of Justice "will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate."

"I am heartbroken by the abhorrent killing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year-old child who died after being stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife. On behalf of the entire Justice Department, I want to express my deepest condolences to his family and his community as they grieve his loss," Garland said.