Prosecutors say Shavon Gayden attacked Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón as the child walked with her teenage sister in East Chatham.
CHICAGO — A 48-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a 7-year-old girl who was walking with her teenage sister on Chicago’s South Side, authorities said.
Shavon Gayden is accused of killing Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón shortly before noon Saturday, Oct. 3, along South Cottage Grove Avenue in the East Chatham area. Prosecutors provided additional details about the attack during a Monday court proceeding, although Gayden did not appear because she remained hospitalized. Authorities have not announced a motive, and the murder charge remains an allegation that must be proved in court.
Prosecutors said Eddimar and her sister had gone to a nearby cellphone store to pay a phone bill and were walking together after leaving the business. Around the same time, Gayden had been inside another business in the area, where prosecutors said she threatened a sales associate before leaving. Authorities said Gayden was carrying a tote bag as she walked in the opposite direction from the sisters.
According to prosecutors, Gayden allegedly pulled a knife from the bag and lunged first toward Eddimar’s teenage sister. The older girl moved out of the way, prosecutors said. Gayden then allegedly pulled Eddimar to the ground and stabbed her several times. Surveillance footage from the area captured portions of the encounter, according to prosecutors and local news reports.
Witnesses quickly intervened after the attack. Police said bystanders pursued and detained Gayden before officers arrived. She suffered injuries while being detained and was taken to a hospital. Police have said those injuries were not initially considered life-threatening. Eddimar was taken to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The killing brought relatives, neighbors and community leaders to the area Sunday for a vigil. Family members remembered Eddimar as a happy child who enjoyed drawing, singing, dancing and spending time with her siblings. Her mother, Estefany Hernandez, called for justice and said her daughter had done nothing to provoke the attack.
Chicago Ald. Michelle A. Harris, whose 8th Ward includes the area, praised the people who intervened following the stabbing. Mayor Brandon Johnson also expressed condolences to Eddimar’s family and the Chatham community and said the city would continue working with Chicago police as the investigation moves forward.
Local court records reviewed by Chicago news organizations show Gayden had previous criminal cases, including a 2023 case involving an attack on a Chicago Transit Authority bus operator. She received probation in that case. Records also show a later battery case and a warrant issued after she failed to appear in court. Those earlier cases are separate from the murder charge now pending against her.
Gayden’s mother told local television stations that she had tried for years to obtain mental health treatment for her daughter and offered condolences to Eddimar’s family. Her comments describe the family’s account and have not been presented by authorities as an explanation for the attack. Prosecutors and police have not publicly identified a motive or said why Eddimar and her sister were allegedly targeted.
Gayden was ordered detained while hospitalized and is scheduled for another court hearing Wednesday, Oct. 7. The investigation remains active as prosecutors pursue the first-degree murder case and authorities continue examining the circumstances that led to the attack.
Author note: Last updated October 6, 2026.