A woman was due in court for a detention hearing Monday in a stabbing that killed a 7-year-old girl over the weekend.
Police said Shavon Gayden, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the attack this past Saturday morning. She is accused of stabbing Eddimar Hernandez Chacon to death in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood.
CBS News Chicago has learned Gayden had several previous criminal cases in Cook County.
On Sunday, balloons and music filled the area near 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, as Eddimar's family cried out in grief. Both loved ones and strangers gathered for the vigil one day after the 7-year-old was killed.
Police said Gayden stabbed the little girl multiple times in the back with a sharp object just before noon Saturday. Surveillance video shows Eddimar walking with her older sister before the attack, according to family.
Police described the attack as unprovoked. After the attack, Eddimar was taken to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Officials said bystanders stepped in and detained Gayden until police arrived, arresting her yards away from the crime scene.
CBS News Chicago found Gayden had been charged in at least four criminal cases in Cook County since 2016. That includes a 2023 attack on a Chicago Transit Authority bus operator.
Two cases were dropped, and two resulted in convictions and probation.
Kina Wallace said she has known Gayden for decades, because Gayden had children with one of her family members. Wallace said the family repeatedly tried to get Gayden treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues.
Now, Wallace is questioning how those previous cases were handled, and offering an apology to Eddimar's family.
"I'm not sure why they continue to give her a slap on the wrist and let her out," Wallace said. "Myself, and even on behalf of my family, we are so sorry. So sorry that this happened to your loved one, because I believe that this could have been prevented. I do. And it's unacceptable. It's unacceptable."
Gayden was injured and hospitalized after she was taken into custody. It was unclear whether she would be medically cleared to attend her detention hearing in Cook County Criminal Court on Monday.
