Feds have yet to disclose reports in Plainfield Township hate crime investigation

Federal authorities have not turned over their reports to attorneys in a Plainfield Township hate crime murder case because their investigation still is ongoing, one prosecutor said.

On Wednesday, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald told a judge in the case against Joseph Czuba, 72, that prosecutors contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for reports on their investigation into the Oct. 14 killing of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi in Plainfield Township.

Czuba is charged with the first-degree murder of Wadee and the attempted murder of the child’s mother, Hanan Shaheen. He also is charged with committing a hate crime against the mother and child on the basis of their Islamic faith.

Czuba’s attorneys have requested reports from the federal investigation as part of their defense.

“Their case is currently under investigation,” Fitzgerald said to Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

Fitzgerald said the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted it is not allowed to disclose anything at this point. He said he plans to contact the office again for the reports.

George Lenard, one of Czuba’s attorneys, raised no objections during Wednesday’s court hearing.

Both parties in the Czuba case agreed to meet again March 7 for an update on whether federal authorities will allow for the disclosure of their investigation records.

After the death of Wadee, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the opening of a hate crimes investigation.

The Chicago FBI Field Office, the civil rights division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois are conducting the investigation.

One of the reasons that Czuba’s attorneys are seeking reports from the federal investigation is that they have hired a forensic psychiatrist to examine Czuba. Lenard said Phillip Resnick, the forensic psychiatrist, will need those records for his evaluation.

Czuba faces a wrongful death lawsuit from Odai Alfayoumi, the father of Wadee, that still is ongoing in Will County court.

Alfayoumi was among a few dozen members of the Chicago-area Muslim community who gathered outside the Will County Courthouse before Czuba’s court hearing Wednesday, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Through a translator, the father said his son “was a remarkable child.”

The AP report quoted Alfayoumi saying his son “loved basketball, soccer and Legos. He carried the bright light of hope wherever he went and was always smiling.

“But that light was tragically taken from us far too soon. His life was cut short by an act of Islamophobia that has left us all stunned and heartbroken.”

Alfayoumi called for Muslims and non-Muslims to stand together and “condemn all forms of hatred and discrimination,” according to The AP.