Executive Summary
- A grand jury indicted Kerri Aherne on Wednesday for an attack at Macy’s Herald Square.
- The suspect allegedly stabbed a tourist changing her baby’s diaper on December 11.
- Authorities stated Aherne was released from a psychiatric ward on the morning of the assault.
- The victim, an employee of the LA County Sheriff’s Department, is in stable condition.
A grand jury has indicted a woman accused of stabbing a mother inside a restroom at the flagship Macy’s Herald Square department store in Midtown Manhattan, according to prosecutors. The indictment, handed down on Wednesday, follows the December 11 attack that left a tourist from California injured and prompted questions regarding the suspect’s release from psychiatric care hours prior to the incident.
Authorities identified the suspect as 43-year-old Kerri Aherne. Investigators state that Aherne entered a seventh-floor bathroom just before 3 p.m. and attacked the 38-year-old victim, who was changing her 10-month-old daughter’s diaper. The assault reportedly caused the infant to fall from the changing table, though the child was not injured. The victim, an employee of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, suffered stab wounds to the back and arm. Police reports indicate that she and her husband, who is also with the Sheriff’s Department, subdued Aherne until store security arrived.
According to law enforcement officials, Aherne had been discharged from a Manhattan psychiatric ward on the morning of the attack after a stay exceeding one year. Aherne reportedly told authorities that auditory hallucinations instructed her to kill or be killed, leading her to purchase a knife within the department store. Prosecutors noted that Aherne has a prior criminal history, including a 2018 arrest in Massachusetts for allegedly posting threats against Senator Elizabeth Warren on social media.
Judicial Proceedings and Mental Health Oversight
The specific charges against Aherne currently remain sealed and will be disclosed during her arraignment scheduled for January 7. This case highlights critical intersections between the criminal justice system and mental health supervision, particularly regarding protocols for discharging patients with histories of violent ideation into the public. As the judicial process moves forward, the court will likely address both criminal liability and the suspect’s mental competency. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
