By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
CHICAGO — A family is mourning a 7-year-old girl killed while walking with her teenage sister in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, as the woman accused in the attack faces a first-degree murder charge.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the child as Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon. Family members told ABC7 Chicago she was also known as Eddimar Paola Hernandez.
The attack occurred shortly before noon Oct. 3 in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. According to prosecutors, the sisters were walking toward a store when Shavon Gayden, 48, allegedly approached them, lunged toward the older sister and then attacked the younger child. The girl was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Witnesses rushed to help and prevented the accused attacker from leaving before police arrived. Gayden also was hospitalized after suffering injuries during the intervention, according to police and court reporting.
At an Oct. 4 community vigil, the child’s mother, Estefany Hernandez, called for accountability.
“There must be justice for my little girl. She wasn’t bothering anyone,” Hernandez told ABC7 Chicago. Police had not publicly identified a motive, according to ABC News’ Oct. 5 report.
Gayden appeared at a detention hearing Oct. 9 after leaving the hospital. A judge ordered her held in custody, with her next court appearance scheduled for Oct. 26. ABC7 reported that the judge also ordered an evaluation to determine whether she is fit to stand trial.
Her public defender argued that Gayden was experiencing a psychiatric crisis. That assertion remains part of the defense’s position; the murder charge is an allegation, and Gayden is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.