Kerri Aherne, 44, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday and was confirmed to be mentally fit following a psychiatric evaluation. Aherne is accused of repeatedly stabbing a 38-year-old tourist in the back on December 11, 2025, in the bathroom of a Macy's store in Herald Square.
According to prosecutors, Aherne entered the Macy's bathroom on the seventh floor and attacked the victim as she was changing her ten-month-old baby's diaper. The victim's child fell from the changing station but was not injured. The victim sustained stab wounds to her back, shoulder, and arm and was transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. The attack ceased when the victim, with the assistance of her baby's father, subdued Aherne.
Prosecutors stated that Aherne had purchased a knife at Macy's and was looking for someone to kill because she heard voices telling her to do so or she would be killed. Aherne was arrested and charged with attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Aherne had been released from Manhattan Psychiatric Center on the same morning as the alleged attack, having spent a year at the facility. The exact reasons for her admission were not immediately clear. Prosecutors also revealed that Aherne had previously posted disturbing messages on social media, including death threats to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and critical posts about then-US President Donald Trump. She had also been arrested in Massachusetts in 2018 for online threats and expressed intentions to obtain a gun to shoot someone at a police station.
Court records cited by The Post indicated Aherne was declared an incapacitated person in 2019, with her mother and sister appointed as her guardians. A court had also directed her to take Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia. Aherne's social media history showed a pattern of concerning posts. She had previously protested being held without bail, telling the court she did not want to return to a hospital where she felt she had not received help.
Aherne's defense attorney, Kevin Sylvan, confirmed that she had been found fit. He made no comment on bail. Judge Biben agreed to continue Aherne's remand, with her legal team expected to file a motion by December 21. Aherne was seen scowling in court beside her lawyer, only smiling at the judge after being directly addressed.