Society & Diaspora/News
Woman charged with first-degree murder in stabbing death of 7-year-old Venezuelan girl in Chicago
Shavon D. Gayden, 48, was arrested after bystanders subdued her following the unprovoked attack on Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón while she walked with her older sister in East Chatham.
Police records show that Shavon D. Gayden, 48, approached 7-year-old Venezuelan girl Eddimar Paola Hernández Chacón as she walked hand-in-hand with her older sister in the 8600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago's East Chatham neighborhood around noon on October 5, 2026. Gayden stabbed the child multiple times in the back with a sharp object in a random attack with no prior relationship or known motive.
Bystanders chased and detained Gayden until police arrived. The girl was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Gayden faces a first-degree murder charge. She has a documented prior record that includes a 2023 violent incident against a CTA employee resulting in probation, a subsequent probation violation for assaulting shelter workers, and an active felony warrant issued in 2025.
Witnesses and authorities describe the attack as random and unprovoked. The investigation remains open regarding the circumstances that led to the incident.
