Man, 71, charged with murder, hate crimes in stabbing death of 6-year-old
A 71-year-old man was charged Sunday in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old boy in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield, Illinois.
Authorities said in a news release that the suspect, landlord Joseph Czuba, stabbed the boy 26 times on Saturday. A 32-year-old woman was also stabbed multiple times and is expected to survive, the sheriff's office said.
"Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis," the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. No further details were made available regarding what the sheriff's department alleged was the suspect's motive.
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On Saturday around 11:38 a.m. local time, deputies were sent to a residence near S. Lincoln Highway and responded to a call about a stabbing between a landlord and tenant.
The victims were found in the bedroom of a residence. Both victims had multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso and upper extremities, authorities said.
The 32-year-old female was taken to the hospital in serious condition. She suffered from over a dozen stab wounds to her body and is expected to survive the attack, officials said.
The child, 6, was taken to the hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, the sheriff's department said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital after authorities found him with a laceration on his forehead when they arrived on scene.
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Czuba was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime nd aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The suspect did not give a statement, though authorities claim they were able to determine the victims in the attack "were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."
ABC News was unable to locate a legal representative for the suspect.
Czuba is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
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