Father of boy slain in Plainfield Township seeks legal rights over son's estate
The father of a boy killed in Plainfield Township in October has requested to become the special administrator of the child's estate in a wrongful-death lawsuit case, although it is not known if his ex-wife and the boy's mother plans to pursue her own legal action.
On Nov. 30, Odai Alfayoumi, the father of Wadea Alfayoumi, 6, petitioned for the appointment as special administrator of his son's estate in a wrongful-death lawsuit case against Joseph Czuba, 71. The appointment would be needed to give Alfayoumi the authority to pursue the case.
Czuba, a Plainfield Township landlord, has been charged with the Oct. 14 murder of Wadea and the attempted murder of the child's mother, Hanan Shaheen.
Czuba also has been charged with committing a hate crime by attacking Shaheen and her son on the basis of their Islamic faith. Czuba was the landlord of Shaheen and her child, who were staying at his residence in Plainfield Township, where the incident occurred.
Alfayoumi's petition to become the special administrator of his son's estate is scheduled to have a court hearing on Friday morning at the Will County Courthouse. According to his petition, "due notice has been provided to all heirs and legatees."
It's not known if Shaheen plans to pursue her own wrongful death lawsuit or seek appointment as the special administrator of Wadea's estate, as well. Shaheen and Alfayoumi married in 2016 but divorced in 2021 in DuPage County, according to court records.
Calls and messages to the law firm of Shaheen's attorney, Ben Crump, were not returned Thursday. Crump, a nationally renowned civil rights attorney who represented the family of George Floyd, announced on Oct. 24 that he had been retained by Shaheen.
Attempts to reach Alfayoumi's attorney, Ben Crane, through a spokesperson on Thursday were not successful.
Alfayoumi's Nov. 21 lawsuit lists Czuba, his wife, Mary Czuba, and Discerning Property Management as defendants. Mary Czuba, who filed for divorce after the Oct. 14 incident, is listed as the manager of the company, according to business records from the Illinois Secretary of State's website.
Alfayoumi's lawsuit accused Czuba of wrongfully causing his son to die by stabbing him to death 26 times.
The lawsuit also alleged Mary Czuba committed negligence by allowing Czuba to have contact with Wadea and failing to "appreciate the threat" that her husband posed to the child.
The lawsuit further claimed Discerning Property Management also was negligent by allowing Czuba to have contact with Wadea, failing to consider the threat he posed to the child and failing to supervise Czuba.
The criminal case against Joseph Czuba remains pending in court. Czuba is slated to appear for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 3.