Family and neighbors remember woman killed in arson attack in Bridgeport

Jacore Anders pointed to a boarded-up north-facing window across from the CHA row house where he lives in Bridgeport. It had been nearly a week since his 54-year-old neighbor had called for help from that window.

Charnette Walker, 54, died early on the morning of June 15 when an improvised explosive device detonated in her living room, sparking a massive fire that critically injured her 12-year-old granddaughter. Police arrested Cordale Nichols of Burnside shortly after the explosion and charged him Monday with murder, attempted murder and other crimes. Nichols allegedly targeted Walker’s daughter, whom he was dating, authorities said. A Cook County judge ordered Nichols held in custody while he awaits trial.

Early Saturday morning, 16-year-old Jacore said he heard a window shatter, then looked up and saw a “forest fire” across the street. He said he and his father, along with other neighbors, helped Walker’s granddaughter jump from her second-floor bedroom and tried to save Walker as well. Walker, whose mobility was limited from knee surgery, was unable to jump and died.

“I’m sad because we couldn’t get her out,” said 16-year-old Jacore.

On Friday evening, neighbors and family gathered on the south side of the building to remember Walker, whom they described as loving, spiritual, open and down-to-earth. Prayer candles, a stuffed rabbit, pictures and balloons were placed on the steps of Walker’s townhouse.

Most of the items were encrusted with rhinestones. Walker’s neighbor to the south, Victoria Steffens, said Walker, who was called Shawn, was crafty and especially loved “putting rhinestones on things.”

“I can’t tell you how many times she asked, ‘Vicki, do you have glue sticks?'” Steffens said.

Walker also owned a motorcycle and enjoyed roller skating, although she had to give up that hobby a few months before her death because of an artificial knee. She decorated the yard for every holiday imaginable, neighbors said, from Christmas to Easter to Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July.

Walker’s daughter Charquandra declined to comment for the most part, but told the Tribune that Charnette was her best friend and that she spends nights at the hospital with her daughter, who remains hospitalized with severe burns.

She spent much of the gathering greeting neighbors and family and using a tablet to take photos and videos of the candle display.

Walker’s mother, Velma Walker, 73, sat in a rocking chair to the right of the plaque and sang along to the music. She said that while her daughter was all about celebrations, she was especially enthusiastic about birthdays.

“Her birthday was in February, she started preparing in January,” she said.

Velma and others added that Walker is crazy about the Adidas brand – so much so that her last party was Adidas-themed – and that she is “a church girl” who loves to sing in the choir.

Lily Love, 68, last saw Walker at a prayer breakfast for public housing residents in May. It was a normal outing, she said. They drank coffee, prayed, talked. They had fun.

“After she finished praying, she told me she felt like a new person,” Love said.

Diane Hughes, 60, attended the memorial wearing a pair of rhinestone-embellished Crocs that Walker decorated for her. Hughes, who has lived in the complex for 17 years, said she and Walker were best friends. They participated in a resident ambassador program together and enjoyed trying new restaurants in Chicago.

“She would call you all day,” Hughes said. “It was like she was saying, ‘Diane, do you want to go here? Do you want to go here?'”

Walker adored her granddaughter and picked her up from school and brought her home every day, she said.

As the memorial service dragged on into the evening, Jacore Anders, who lived across the street from Walker and saw the fire, and his mother, Tamika, sat at the entrance to the walkway they shared and lamented how long it had taken for emergency responders to arrive.

Tamika said she believed Walker could have been saved, but she was focused on her granddaughter.

“She told my boys, ‘Save my grandchild,'” she said.