Woman charged with first-degree murder in fatal stabbing of 7-year-old girl in Chicago

A woman, Shavon Gayden, 48, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 7-year-old girl in Chicago, according to police. The child, Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon, was stabbed multiple times in the back while walking along a sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood on Saturday morning. The incident occurred when the woman approached the girl carrying an unspecified sharp object.

Bystanders chased the woman and detained her, after which police arrived. Gayden, who is from Chicago, was initially slated to appear for a hearing on Monday but was hospitalized and did not attend. Her injuries were not deemed life-threatening. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the girl's identity and that she was pronounced dead at Comer Children's Hospital.

It remains unclear if there was any relationship between the attacker and the victim. Police have not disclosed a possible motive for the stabbing and have not provided further details. Gayden's legal representation has been assigned by the Cook County Public Defender's Office, but the office declined to comment further. The girl's uncle, Richard Hernandez Chacon, expressed profound grief over his niece's passing in a GoFundMe post to raise funds for a funeral.