Throughout his journey to the police station, the owner suspected of stabbing his Palestinian American tenant and killing her 6-year-old son advised a sheriff’s police sergeant the girl was a “skilled fighter” who put him at risk: “They had been identical to infested rats.”
“I used to be afraid for my life,” Joseph Czuba mentioned behind a Will County sheriff’s police automobile. “I used to be afraid for my spouse. I used to be afraid they had been going to do jihad on me.”
Jurors heard the remarks in a video performed Thursday in a Will County courtroom the place Czuba is on trial for the October 2023 assault on Hanan Shaheen and the slaying of Wadee Al Fayoumi, 6.
Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after calling their remaining witness, Will County Sheriff’s Sgt. Patrick Jones.
Jones responded to the scene in Plainfield on Oct. 14, 2023, and transported Czuba to the sheriff’s workplace after the blood-covered suspect was first checked for accidents at a hospital. In a video of the journey in Jones’ squad automotive, Czuba begins by making unprompted feedback about “PLO,” probably referring to the Palestine Liberation Group.
“I can’t imagine all these protests and other people which can be supporting PLO,” Czuba will be heard saying within the automotive. “It’s so evil … It’s like Nazis. It’s loopy.”
Czuba continues to talk with none questioning from Jones, mentioning his security issues.
“She was a skilled fighter, let me let you know,” Czuba says. “They’re identical to infested rats.”
Czuba, 73, is accused of stabbing Shaheen and killing Wadee after turning into radicalized by conservative commentary concerning the warfare in Gaza.
Talking from the backseat of the squad automotive, Czuba doesn’t point out Shaheen or Wadee by identify however says he “tried to be his good friend” by shopping for the boy toys. He additionally says he had “tried to assist her out” and that “she didn’t inform me she was Muslim.”
“I begged her to get out for 3 days,” Czuba says within the video. “She wouldn’t depart.”
In earlier testimony Thursday, a forensic scientist advised jurors that DNA from Wadee, Shaheen and Czuba was possible within the blood combination discovered on the bottom of the knife and knife deal with discovered lodged within the facet of the younger boy.
The scientist mentioned they don’t use the time period “match” when testing a combination of samples however that there was “very sturdy assist” to point the DNA of all three was included within the blood combination she examined.
Wadee and Czuba’s DNA had been additionally possible discovered within the pattern pulled from the owner’s blood-stained pants, she testified.
Talking to a packed court docket Tuesday, Shaheen advised jurors Czuba attacked her whereas yelling, “You Muslim should die.” Shaheen mentioned Czuba finally left, and he or she ran to the toilet to name 911.
However Czuba returned and tried to enter the toilet, Shaheen testified, saying she then started “listening to screaming, my son screaming, screaming, screaming.”
Wadee had been stabbed 26 instances, based on the Will County sheriff’s workplace.
When law enforcement officials responding to Shaheen’s 911 name discovered Czuba, he “had blood throughout his physique, throughout his fingers and he was sweating profusely,” and there have been “a couple of knives laying round him,” Deputy Sheriff Matthew Starcevich testified Wednesday.
Deputies additionally observed a knife holster on Czuba’s waistband, which Starcevich acknowledged as a sheath for a ScubaPro dive knife. That very same sheath was proven to jurors.
An investigator with the Will County sheriff’s workplace testified Wednesday that the knife discovered within the facet of Wadee’s stomach was additionally manufactured by ScubaPro.
Czuba has pleaded not responsible to 3 counts of first-degree homicide, one rely of tried homicide, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of committing a hate crime.
After prosecutors rested their case, Czuba waived his proper to testify. His protection attorneys as a substitute known as simply two Will County legislation enforcement officers as witnesses, asking them if on the day of the assault Shaheen advised them of sure feedback she later associated in her testimony Tuesday.
Will County Sheriff’s detective Michael Earnest testified that Shaheen by no means talked about Czuba telling Wadee, “Don’t inform individuals I killed your mother,” when he interviewed her that day.
However he additionally talked about she was “distraught” and that her solutions to his questions had been “very brief.”
Prosecutors and protection attorneys are anticipated to make their closing arguments Friday.
