These high-profile Will County cases will be headed to trial in 2025

Several murder trials are expected to take place in Will County next year, including one that attracted international attention and a U.S. congressional hearing.

Joliet also will continue to wrangle with legal issues involving the police department, which was the subject of a highly critical report from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Here’s what’s ahead for 2025:

Plainfield Township murder trial

The trial of former Plainfield Township landlord Joseph Czuba, 73, is expected to begin the week of Feb. 24.

Czuba is charged with the 2023 murder of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the attempted murder of Hanan Shaheen. The mother and child were living at Czuba’s residence at the time.

Czuba also is charged with the hate crime of the two on the basis of their Islamic faith.

The Czuba case drew outrage and sadness from the Muslim community.

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the killing of Wadee. A federal hate crime investigation was launched. And the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution honoring Wadee.

Ex-Joliet teacher murder trial

After more than six years, the trial of former Joliet teacher Michael Kazecki, 44, may begin the week of July 24.

Kazecki stands charged with the 2018 first-degree murder of his wife, Rebecca Kazecki, 38, who also was a teacher.

The Kazeckis worked as teachers for Joliet Public Schools District 86. Michael Kazecki’s employment with the district was terminated Feb. 5, 2020.

Michael Kazecki’s attorneys spent 2024 unsuccessfully attempting to persuade Will County Judge Dan Rippy to suppress his statements to the police.

The Lurry case

A federal lawsuit against the city of Joliet over the controversial 2020 in-custody death of Eric Lurry Jr., 37, is awaiting a summary judgment ruling from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings that could significantly alter the trajectory of the case.

Depending on how Cummings rules, the case could either head to trial or lead to a settlement.

The fallout from the Lurry incident led to a three-year investigation of the police department by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office that resulted in a highly critical report released on Dec. 12, 2024.

The following day, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis elected to drop his case against retired Joliet police Sgt. Javier Esqueda, whom Weis charged with official misconduct after Esqueda leaked the dashcam video.

The video showed a sergeant slapping Lurry in the face and pinching his nose shut as other officers removed bags of drugs from Lurry’s mouth.

Joliet mass shooting cases

Several criminal cases that were filed in the wake of mass shootings in Joliet Township and in Joliet will continue to go through pretrial hearings next year.

The obstruction case filed against Kyleigh Cleveland-Singleton, 22, the girlfriend of mass shooter Romeo Nance, 23, is set for another pretrial hearing on Feb. 28.

Cleveland-Singleton is accused of obstructing police in the investigation of Nance. Police officials said Nance killed seven of his family members and Toyosi Bakare, 28, in a shooting spree on Jan. 21, 2024.

A Will County judge may consider on Jan. 6 whether to grant the pretrial release of Jon Hansen, 25, of Shorewood, who’s facing charges holding him accountable of Nance’s shooting of Bakare and nonfatal shooting of a second victim.

Four men have been charged with the 2021 gang-fueled mass shooting at a Halloween party in Joliet Township that claimed the lives of Holly Mathews and Jonathan Ceballos, both 22, and Sergio Hernandez, 20.

The cases against David Grijalva, 23, Joskar Ramos, 21, Thomas Lopez, 23, and Jeremy Lopez, 22, are set for another pretrial hearing on Feb. 19.