Chicago police have charged 48-year-old Shavon Gayden with one count of first-degree murder after a seven-year-old girl, identified as Eddimar Hernandez-Chacon, was allegedly stabbed to death on a Chatham sidewalk just before noon Saturday. Bystanders detained the suspect and police arrested her at the scene; the child was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital. Investigators have not confirmed a motive, and Gayden’s prior record reportedly includes other seemingly random assaults. The family has launched a GoFundMe for funeral expenses while the case remains under active investigation.
Chicago Woman Charged With First‑Degree Murder After Alleged Fatal Stabbing Of 7‑Year‑Old
Eddimar Hernandez-Chacon, the seven-year-old girl who was stabbed while taking a walk with her older sister on 3 October.Photograph: GofundMe
Chicago police say 48-year-old Shavon Gayden has been charged with one count of first-degree murder after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly stabbed to death on a busy Chatham sidewalk just before noon on Saturday.
Authorities and local outlets identified the victim as Eddimar Hernandez-Chacon. Police and prosecutors say Eddimar was walking with her 17-year-old sister when Gayden allegedly seized the younger child and fatally stabbed her on a busy thoroughfare. Bystanders pursued and restrained the suspect until officers arrived and arrested her at the scene, officials said.
Eddimar was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.
Investigation And Court Status
A spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney’s Office said Gayden was due to appear in court Monday but remained hospitalized; a new hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday. The Cook County Public Defender’s Office was assigned to represent Gayden at a hearing, the public defender’s press secretary confirmed.
Police have not released a motive and declined to provide additional details. A security image from a nearby business showed the girl holding hands with an older female moments before the attack, WLS-TV reported, but it was not immediately clear whether the attacker and child knew each other. Local reporting cited an initial police description of the incident as "unprovoked."
Background And Family Response
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Gayden has a prior criminal history that includes an incident in which she struck a Chicago Transit Authority employee; she pleaded guilty to that charge and received two years of probation. Attempts to reach Gayden’s family were unsuccessful.
In a GoFundMe appeal to cover funeral costs, the victim’s uncle, Richard Hernandez Chacon, wrote that Eddimar’s "passing leaves an indescribable void and profound grief in all of us who loved her." ABC7 reported that Gayden’s mother, who requested anonymity, apologized for the stabbing and said she had struggled to obtain mental health treatment for her daughter.
Note: The investigation is ongoing and authorities have asked anyone with information or footage to contact Chicago police.
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