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A homeless woman accused of stabbing a woman at a Macy’s store in New York City has a history of mental illness, and was released from a psychiatric hospital hours before the attack and was “manslaughtered” or killed.
Kerri Aherne, 43, stabbed a California woman in the back Thursday as she was changing her baby inside a Macy’s bathroom.
The victim, identified only by his department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was taken to Bellevue Hospital and released on Friday.
Aherne was charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and child welfare in connection with the attack on police. He is being held without bail.
A child-turned-tourist was stabbed multiple times in the back at the iconic NYC Macy’s during the holiday shopping season
Kerri Aherne was charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and child welfare in connection with a stabbing attack in NYC. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Court records show Aherne, whose last name was Tewksbury, Massachusetts, had a long history of battling mental illness.
Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Aherne told police he was released from a Manhattan mental institution early Thursday morning after a year in prison.
He also said he bought a knife at Macy’s and wanted someone to kill because “the voices in his head told him he had to kill someone, or he would be killed.”
In 2019, records show he was deemed vulnerable, and his mother and sister were appointed as his guardians, according to the New York Post.
Aherne was placed on treatment court and ordered to ensure he takes prolixin, an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia, records show.
Video shows the aftermath of a violent neighbor who left a couple in a ‘planned attack’
Kerri Aherne has a long history of battling mental illness, according to authorities. (Kena betancur / afp via Getty Images)
His Facebook has been inactive since 2018. In one of his last posts, he wrote, “going on a little crazy,” along with a Michael Jackson Video.
Aherne became pregnant on Friday, when her lawyer told the court she planned to apply for bail at a future hearing.
When the judge said he would be held without bail until his next court appearance, Aherne became agitated and asked to be sent to another mental health facility, the New Yorker reported.
Kerri Aherne said she bought a knife and looked for someone to kill because “the voices in her head told her she had to kill someone, or she would be killed.” (Kylie Cooper / Reuters)
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“I don’t want to go to another hospital,” Aherne said. “They didn’t help me at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center.”
He is scheduled to appear in court on December 17.
