Witnesses see photos of horrific injuries in trial of landlord accused of murder of Palestinian boy
Wednesday marked the second day of testimony in the hate crime murder trial for Plainfield, Illinois, landlord Joseph Czuba, who stands accused of killing his 6-year-old tenant because the boy was Muslim.
The prosecution on Wednesday showed several photos Wadee Alfayoumi's injuries to the jury — positioning the screen in a way that the jurors and judge could see but not the people watching from the gallery.
The position of the screen shielded those horrible photos of the deceased kindergartener from his loved ones — including his father.
Wadee's mother, Hanan Shaheen — who was also injured in the incident — was notably absent from court for the second day of testimony after taking the stand for nearly four hours on Tuesday.
However, the kindergartener's father was again seated in the front row.
The prosecution called several first responders and the medical staff who treated the defendant and victims to talk about their state immediately after the Oct. 14, 2023, attack.
A witness recalled Czuba "had blood all over his body, on his hands, and he was sweating profusely."
Of victim Shaheen, the witness said, "I observed her to be bleeding profusely from the face."
Of 6-year-old Wadee, the witness said, "The amount of blood that was on the child, I couldn't even count the amount of stab wounds."
Also on the stand Wednesday was Mary Connor, formerly Mary Czuba — the then-wife of the defendant. Connor described how the relationship between Czuba and Shaheen and her son changed.
Connor recalled Czuba saying, "Hanan needs to move because her friends could come and do us harm."
But Connor says he reminded her husband that Shaheen had never had anyone to their home. Connor said her husband was quiet and withdrawn the week of the attack.
Connor said the last time she saw her husband was just hours before the attack. She said he was sitting at the kitchen table working on a puzzle.
CBS News Chicago asked Connor if she wanted to say anything as she left the courthouse after testifying, but she did not respond.
Prosecutors have said Czuba attacked his two tenants at this Plainfield home because they were Muslim, referencing the events of Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel just days prior.
Prosecutors relied on body camera video and graphic photos to make their case, having one witness show the preserved clothes Czuba was wearing on that day.
The defense has given little insight into their strategy, asking jurors to look for inconsistencies and changes in testimony. On Wednesday, the defense also tried to downplay the extent of some injuries, focusing on the term lacerations instead of stab wounds.
When it came to Connor, the defense stressed that Czuba never outlined any plans for violence with her.
The last prosecution witness took the stand late Wednesday afternoon.
Court resumes at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
Czuba faces life in prison if convicted.
