NEW YORK CITY, NY – The 43-year-old woman who was arrested earlier in December for allegedly stabbing a woman inside a Macy’s bathroom while the victim was changing her baby was reportedly released from a psychiatric treatment center the very same morning of the attack.
On December 11, a 38-year-old woman who was visiting New York City from California was changing her baby inside the restroom of a Macy’s located at Herald Square when she was allegedly attacked by 43-year-old Kerri Aherne, according to authorities. Police say Aherne ventured inside the department store and purchased a knife before carrying out the stabbing that left the victim seriously injured.
The victim was reportedly stabbed several times in the back, shoulder, and arm, while the victim’s baby fell from the changing table during the attack. Despite the injuries sustained, she was able to subdue the suspect prior to the police taking the suspect into custody.
Aherne has since been charged with attempted murder, assault, child endangerment, and weapons possession, with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Paul Barker telling the court during her arraignment, “She had purchased a knife at Macy’s and looked for someone to kill because voices in her head told her that she had to kill someone or else she would be killed.”
A recently revealed detail about the suspect was her extensive psychiatric treatment history, having reportedly received treatment in both Massachusetts and New York City before allegedly carrying out the near-fatal attack. Court records obtained by the New York Post show that Aherne was “deemed an incapacitated person in 2019,” citing that her mother and sister were appointed as her legal guardians.
Aherne was reportedly placed on a court-ordered treatment plan, staying at a psychiatric facility in Massachusetts to continue taking a medication that is apparently used to treat schizophrenia.
While on leave, Aherne reportedly hopped in an Uber and arrived in New York City. Mere hours before the December 11 attack, Aherne had reportedly been released from the Manhattan Psychiatric Center following a year-long treatment at the facility.
The suspect, while having no prior convictions, reportedly does have a prior arrest from back in 2018 after allegedly making online posts where she threatened to kill Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as threatening to shoot up a “local police station” in Massachusetts. Aherne’s social media activity, which has been dormant since 2018, was largely a hodgepodge of “anti-Trump comments, movie clips and incoherent rants,” according to the New York Post.
Bail was initially denied for Aherne during her arraignment, but her attorney is reportedly seeking bond for his client at a future hearing. Aherne’s next scheduled court appearance is slated for December 17.
On December 11, a 38-year-old woman who was visiting New York City from California was changing her baby inside the restroom of a Macy’s located at Herald Square when she was allegedly attacked by 43-year-old Kerri Aherne, according to authorities. Police say Aherne ventured inside the department store and purchased a knife before carrying out the stabbing that left the victim seriously injured.
The victim was reportedly stabbed several times in the back, shoulder, and arm, while the victim’s baby fell from the changing table during the attack. Despite the injuries sustained, she was able to subdue the suspect prior to the police taking the suspect into custody.
Aherne has since been charged with attempted murder, assault, child endangerment, and weapons possession, with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Paul Barker telling the court during her arraignment, “She had purchased a knife at Macy’s and looked for someone to kill because voices in her head told her that she had to kill someone or else she would be killed.”
A recently revealed detail about the suspect was her extensive psychiatric treatment history, having reportedly received treatment in both Massachusetts and New York City before allegedly carrying out the near-fatal attack. Court records obtained by the New York Post show that Aherne was “deemed an incapacitated person in 2019,” citing that her mother and sister were appointed as her legal guardians.
Aherne was reportedly placed on a court-ordered treatment plan, staying at a psychiatric facility in Massachusetts to continue taking a medication that is apparently used to treat schizophrenia.
While on leave, Aherne reportedly hopped in an Uber and arrived in New York City. Mere hours before the December 11 attack, Aherne had reportedly been released from the Manhattan Psychiatric Center following a year-long treatment at the facility.
The suspect, while having no prior convictions, reportedly does have a prior arrest from back in 2018 after allegedly making online posts where she threatened to kill Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as threatening to shoot up a “local police station” in Massachusetts. Aherne’s social media activity, which has been dormant since 2018, was largely a hodgepodge of “anti-Trump comments, movie clips and incoherent rants,” according to the New York Post.
Bail was initially denied for Aherne during her arraignment, but her attorney is reportedly seeking bond for his client at a future hearing. Aherne’s next scheduled court appearance is slated for December 17.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments