Joseph Czuba is a 71-year-old man who was arrested and charged with murder and hate crimes after allegedly stabbing a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy and injuring his mother because they were Muslim.
According to authorities, he did not make a statement to detectives, but investigators determined that the victims were ‘targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis’.
The family had lived in the house for two years without ‘previous notable issues’ with Czuba.
Czuba is currently being held without bail and is awaiting his initial court appearance.
Joseph Czuba hate crime video
After a startling video of the horrific hate crime committed by Czuba in Plainfield, Illinois, went viral on Reddit, it attracted a lot of attention.
A six-year-old kid and his mother were brutally stabbed in the video, which went viral on social media and sparked widespread outrage and condemnation.
Despite being extremely upsetting, the video has highlighted the seriousness of hate crimes and the pressing need for societal change.
In a short period, the video attracted an alarmingly high number of views, reaching thousands of watchers.
The widespread worry and anger felt by individuals from all walks of life are highlighted by its virality.
Viewers’ emotional reactions to the graphic and distressing video have led to a clamor for justice on a massive scale.
Online communities on Reddit and other platforms have come together in their call for accountability, stressing the need to make the offenders answer for their atrocious deeds and see justice done for the victims and their bereaved families.
An outpouring of solidarity for the victims and their community has occurred during the video’s worldwide distribution.
The populace’s outspoken response shows a rising intolerance for hate crimes and a shared will to combat prejudice and violence head-on.
As the film goes viral, it is a forceful reminder of the critical need for societal change.
It inspires people to have deep dialogues about prejudice and discrimination and the steps that need to be taken to make everyone feel safer and more included in society.
Cases of hate crime in the U.S
Hate crimes are crimes motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.
The FBI defines a hate crime as a traditional offense like murder, arson or vandalism with an added element of bias.
In the US, hate crime laws generally fall into one of several categories, including laws defining specific bias-motivated acts as distinct crimes and criminal penalty-enhancement laws.
In May 2023, four men entered a bar in Lynnwood, Washington, and repeatedly gave Nazi salutes.
After the DJ, a Black man, objected to the men touching his DJ equipment, the defendants attacked him while shouting racial slurs.
Bystanders who attempted to intervene were also assaulted. The hate crime carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison.
A man in Idaho was charged with a hate crime after attempting to hit two people with his car.
Allegedly, the defendant targeted the two victims because of their actual and perceived sexual orientation.
The defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
A Michigan man pleaded guilty to two hate crimes for attempting to intimidate people from engaging in lawful speech and protests supporting Black Lives Matter.
According to the evidence, the defendant called nine Starbucks stores in Michigan and told the employees answering his calls to relay racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts.
He also threatened to kill Black people, using racial slurs.
It is important to note that hate crimes are often violent crimes, such as assault, murder, arson, vandalism, or threats to commit such crimes.
Reporting hate crimes allows communities and law enforcement to fully understand the scope of the problem in a community and put resources toward preventing and addressing attacks based on bias and hate.
Joseph Czuba: No bail for suspect in killing of Muslim boy in Illinois https://t.co/itW4AMuv1P
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 16, 2023