Father of Wadee Alfayoumi, Muslim boy killed in Unincorporation. Plainfield stabbing commemoration one year after alleged hate crime

PLAINFIELD, Ill. (WLS) – A year later, the death of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi in the south suburbs continues to impact many people in the Chicago area.

President Joe Biden is among those marking the somber milestone, and Wadee’s father is among those gathering on Chicago’s Northwest Side for a memorial service scheduled to begin Monday evening.

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Wadee died after being stabbed more than two dozen times at his home near Plainfield on October 14, 2023. His mother was critically injured in the attack.

The Muslim family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba, who prosecutors said was angered by Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and hate crimes. His trial is scheduled to begin in February.

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Dozens of people gathered at Settler’s Park in Plainfield on Sunday to honor Wadee and mourn as a community.

At Monday night’s memorial, ABC7 was told Wadee’s father specifically requested an intimate meeting at the Muslim Community Center in Chicago and told supporters that he did not want his son’s memory to be politicized in any way.

READ MORE | Mother of boy killed in apparent hate crime at Unincorp. Plainfield speaks out for the first time

In a statement, Biden said, in part: “On this day, let us take every step to honor Wadee’s memory and together affirm that there is no place for hate in America, including hatred of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.”

Last month, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution acknowledging that Wadee’s death was the result of a hate crime.

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