Prosecutors say Javan Weatherspoon confronted an unarmed woman days after his sister was found dead in a Chicago alley.
CHICAGO — A Cook County judge ordered Javan Weatherspoon held pending trial Thursday after prosecutors accused him of shooting a woman he believed had information about the unexplained death of his sister, Zenobia Weatherspoon.
Javan Weatherspoon is charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the July 19 shooting. The case is separate from the investigation into his sister’s death, which remains open. Her family identified her as the woman found inside a garbage can near 54th Street and Union Avenue in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood on July 11.
According to a detention proffer filed by prosecutors, Weatherspoon approached the shooting victim and demanded to know what she knew about his sister. Prosecutors alleged that he struck the woman in the head with a firearm and shot her once. They said he later returned and fired another shot that missed her.
The woman survived but suffered a gunshot wound and a fracture, prosecutors said. The court order described her as unarmed and said she did not pose a threat when she was shot. Her name was not released in the court account provided to news organizations.
Court records identify the woman as a friend of Zenobia Weatherspoon and one of the people who discovered her body. Prosecutors said Javan Weatherspoon had accused the woman several times of knowing something about his sister’s death before the shooting occurred.
At Thursday’s detention hearing, the judge found that prosecutors had presented clear and convincing evidence that Javan Weatherspoon was accused of a detainable offense. The judge also found that he posed a threat to the woman and the community and ordered him to remain in custody while the criminal case continues.
The detention ruling does not determine guilt. The allegations against Weatherspoon must still be tested in court, and no trial outcome has been reached. Information about his plea or the next scheduled hearing was not included in the available records.
Zenobia Weatherspoon’s death has remained a separate source of uncertainty for her family and the surrounding community. Authorities have not publicly announced a cause or manner of death, and no one has been charged in connection with her death.
Her family and Illinois state Sen. Lakesia Collins publicly identified Zenobia Weatherspoon after the body was recovered. Chicago police initially described the matter as a death investigation, and officials had not released findings showing how or when she died.
Collins, who said she knew Zenobia Weatherspoon and identified the shooting victim as her cousin, urged residents to avoid speculation while investigators work. She said rumors about who last saw Weatherspoon and what happened before her death had created added strain for people already dealing with grief.
“I really would love for people to allow this to play out, allow the investigators to bring the truth to the light, allow the justice system to work in the way it’s intended to work,” Collins said. She also urged the community to allow the healing process to begin.
Collins said she understood that Javan Weatherspoon wanted answers about his sister, but she emphasized that grief did not excuse the allegations against him. She said investigations take time and that authorities should be allowed to establish what happened through evidence.
Javan Weatherspoon remains in custody pending trial. The investigation into Zenobia Weatherspoon’s death also remains active, with her cause and manner of death and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her body still unresolved.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.