Mental-health system failures cited after woman fatally stabbed 7-year-old
A public defender says Shavon Gayden, who stabbed a 7-year-old to death, repeatedly fell through Chicago’s mental-health safety net.
In Chicago, Shavon Gayden, 48, faces a first-degree murder charge for the fatal stabbing of 7-year-old Eddimar Hernández-Chacón on Saturday. Her public defender, Brett Balmer, told reporters that Gayden’s repeated psychiatric hospitalizations did not result in sustained mental-health care, suggesting the tragedy could have been avoided. Gayden, who has a history of random violent acts, was hospitalized again, causing her initial court date to be postponed twice.
Balmer asked Judge John Hock for a psychiatric evaluation and for medical records from up to ten hospitals before the rescheduled detention hearing on Friday. While she does not need to be deemed mentally fit to appear, she must be physically present, and officials plan to transfer her to Cook County Jail. The victim’s family has launched a GoFundMe that has raised $16,000 for funeral expenses.
Why it matters
The case highlights gaps in mental-health services that can have lethal consequences.
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