Prosecutors say Javan Weatherspoon attacked a woman who helped discover his sister’s body in a Chicago garbage can.
CHICAGO, IL — A Cook County judge ordered Javan Weatherspoon held pending trial Thursday on an attempted murder charge after prosecutors said he shot a woman he believed had information about the unexplained death of his sister.
Weatherspoon’s sister, Zenobia “Zee” Weatherspoon, was found dead inside a garbage can in an alley in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood on July 11. Authorities have not announced her cause or manner of death, and no one has been charged in connection with her death. Police continue to classify the case as a death investigation.
Prosecutors allege Javan Weatherspoon confronted a 45-year-old woman at about 2:15 p.m. July 19 in a liquor store parking lot in the 5400 block of South Halsted Street. The woman was a friend of Zenobia Weatherspoon and was among the people who discovered her body, according to court records.
Surveillance video captured the confrontation, prosecutors said. Court documents allege Weatherspoon approached the woman and demanded to know what she knew about his sister. An argument followed, and prosecutors said he struck the woman in the head with a gun, knocking her to the ground.
Weatherspoon then allegedly stood over the woman and shot her in the left hip, prosecutors said. He briefly left the area before returning and firing another shot that missed her, according to the court filing. The woman survived and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.
Authorities said the woman suffered a gunshot wound, a head injury and a fracture near her hip. A detention order said she was unarmed and did not pose a threat when the shooting occurred. Weatherspoon was arrested Wednesday and appeared for a detention hearing the following day.
The judge found that prosecutors had presented clear and convincing evidence that Weatherspoon was accused of a detainable offense and posed a threat to the woman and the community. The ruling keeps him in custody while the attempted first-degree murder case moves through court. The charge is an allegation, and Weatherspoon has not been convicted.
State Sen. Lakesia Collins, who said she knew Zenobia Weatherspoon and identified the shooting victim as her cousin, said speculation about the death had increased tensions within the community. She urged residents to allow investigators and the courts to determine what happened rather than relying on rumors.
“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 told ABC 7 Chicago. She said grief over Zenobia Weatherspoon’s death did not excuse the violence alleged in the shooting case.
Zenobia Weatherspoon’s remains were discovered at about 6:30 p.m. in an alley near 54th Street and Union Avenue, roughly two blocks from her home. Relatives said she had not been seen for about two weeks before she was found. Family members described her as caring and intelligent and said she had been studying to become a nurse.
Chicago police have not released additional findings about Zenobia Weatherspoon’s death or announced any arrests in that investigation. Javan Weatherspoon remains in custody as the separate shooting case proceeds.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.