A detention hearing was postponed Monday for a woman charged 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 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.
Though Gayden did not appear in court on Monday, prosecutors released new information about the events leading up to the fatal stabbing that was caught on surveillance camera.
Prosecutors told the judge that Gayden had been inside a local shop minutes before the stabbing, threatening a sales associate there before walking outside. She then crossed paths with the 7-year-old, who was hand-in-hand with her sister.
According to prosecutors, Gayden pulled out a knife from her bag and first lunged at the sister, who ducked. She then grabbed the young girl, pulled her to the ground, and stabbed her repeatedly. She then walked away from the scene before being stopped by bystanders, causing her to fall to the ground and become unconscious.
Multiple knives were found in her bag, including the murder weapon with the victim's blood still on it, prosecutors said.
Police said after the attack, Eddimar was taken to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
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 — though at the second sentencing she'd already violated the terms of the first with an active arrest warrant in her name.
"I wasn't surprised to see that this happened simply because these cases fall between the cracks. And unfortunately, this was a horrendous result," said CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller.
Miller said there were several red flags in Gayden's court documents, including a handwritten note from Judge Natosha Toller who said on one appearance Gayden hurled obscenities at her — something that could and should have triggered a mental evaluation.
"You see things like that when you have a defendant, who I will use the word unstable. And that should've triggered a judge saying, 'Hey, listen, I think maybe we should get the psychiatric folks involved in this,'" he said.
Kina Wallace 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."
CBS News Chicago asked the chief judge's office if Gayden's behavior toward the judge should have triggered a mental health exam, but they said they couldn't comment on pending cases.
Gayden is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a detention hearing on the murder case, with a follow-up appearance Thursday for the other open legal matters. That does hinge on whether she is medically cleared and discharged from the hospital.
