Father of slain Plainfield boy files wrongful death lawsuit against murder suspect

WILL COUNTY - In the wake of the tragic October incident where a 6-year-old boy was brutally stabbed 26 times in his Plainfield home, the boy's father is taking legal action.

Joseph Czuba, 71, is facing eight charges, including murder, attempted murder, and hate crimes, for the killing of Wadea Alfayoume and the injury of his mother, Hanaan Shahin.

"We filed a lawsuit against him for his intentional conduct and his wife because we believe there were signs, telltale signs that she should’ve intervened and done something that likely would’ve prevented this," said Ben Crane, attorney for Odai Alfayoume.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed last week by the victim's father, targets not only the murder suspect Joseph Czuba but also his wife, Mary, and their property management company, Discerning Property Management.

The lawsuit alleges that the violent acts were foreseeable based on negative conversations about Palestinians between the suspect and his wife.

"I believe that being able to protect any evidence that there may be to collect, whether that be social media, digital media, internet history, anything of that sort, goes stale after time so it’s important to start collecting that evidence quickly," said Crane.

Czuba, who is currently held without bond, will be back in court in January for the criminal case.